Pokemon High School
by Dragondemolition
Summary: If you want drama, love and good times, where do you go? High school of course. If you want to blend action into it? Then you go to a Pokemon High School. Tomoya, who just moved from his old region to escape his past, just happen to run into one of the most popular girls in school, Mayu Sakagami. What will happen from there? You will only know if you read the fanfic.
1. Chapter 1 - First Day

**Hey guys.**

**Welcome to my second fanfic and project, Pokémon High School.**

**This is a story about love, making friends, making enemies, and surviving high school (so this is basically a High School Musical remake xD)**

**This is a story about my original character Tomoya, who has just moved from his home in Sinnoh to escape his past. With him, he brought his bag, his trainer items, and his trustworthy partner Pokémon, Grotle. Through this story, we will hear about his and other people's pasts, as well as how he will make it through high school. **

**At his first day in his new school, he bumps into one of the popular girls Mayu, which he immediately feels a spark for. **

**Will Tomoya ever be able to escape and forget his past? Or will his past come back to haunt him?**

**You will find out if you read this story. ****SO GO READ IT!**

**And no, this is not a crossover for either Clannad X Pokémon, Corpse Party X Pokémon, or Corpse Party X Clannad X Pokémon. The names I have used in this story is the names I wanted to use.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these. Even though I wish I did. **

_Pokémon High School_

_Chapter 1 - First Day_

I sighed and rolled around to face away from the irritating nudging i could feel in my neck. Now and then i could hear a low growl and then more nudging. I growled a little and sat up as i looked at the source of the pecking. " Huh?! Grotle what are you doing!? " I said as i looked around for my alarm clock. " Holy Crap! 7.30?! Thanks Grotle! " I yelled behind me as i sprinted down the hall to get everything ready in time for my first day of school. All i heard was a low pitched growl in return and i sighed a little and smiled back at him as i ran for the stairs " Grumpy as always huh? " I turned the corner and quickly jumped down the stairs three steps a time, and sprinted to the bathroom.

When everything was done i then sprinted back upstairs to change into my school uniform. My uniform consisted of a blue t-shirt and a white shirt over and blue jeans. When i was finished with practically throwing my clothes on, i proceeded to run down and get an apple as breakfast and run out the door with Grotle right on my tail, loudly yelling it´s name behind me. I smiled and put a finger on the button of his pokeball and a red beam send him back into the ball. I picked up my pace and ran towards the Naokomu high school building. The school yard was almost free of people, only a few other students were running towards the main doors with books and pencils in hand. I was by this time panting as i was running towards my class through the halls, but i knew i was late. I ran up to the door and threw it open, sitting by the only free table there were

Everyone including the teacher was staring at me, some of the girls in the corner was giggling, and one kid was desperately trying to keep in a laugh, which made him look like he was trying to suffocate himself. I blushed bright pink and made myself as small as I could in my seat, the teacher growling at me as she held a book in one hand, and a pencil in the other " You have got guts to get here late for my classes. What´s your name student? " She said with a stern voice as she glared me straight in the eye. I growled a little and sighed before answering "My name is Tomoya miss." I said with a low voice as to not seem impolite. She glared back at me fiercely and grabbed a pencil to write something down on a notebook "If you get here late again you´ll get detention. Sit down" She simply stated and I did as I was told before grabbing my schoolbooks and try to listen to what she had to say in the lecture.

_After 1__st__ period_

After the first class I put away my books and walked out the classroom to find my locker. I walked down the hall and looked around for my locker, but everything looked like the same thing. I didn´t really have a chance to find my locker as long as I didn´t know exactly where it was.

"I need someone to help me with this…" I said as I sighed, still walking around and trying to have everything in check. I growled a little of irritation and turned my head left and right, to try to find my locker.

In my confusion I bumped into a girl that stood near the door to math class "H-Hey! Watch out!" she yelled loudly as I bumped into her, and somehow or another I fell and pulled her with me, resulting in us both ending up on the floor, her on top of me, in the middle of a sea of students. Everyone turned their head towards the commotion me and the girl had caused, but I didn´t really see that. All I was seeing was the girls face.

She was beautiful. Long brown curly hair that reached her shoulders, bright chestnut eyes. Her skin was soft and her smell… She smelled so nice. She was wearing a darkgrey shirt and a red hat and skirt, and black knee socks and brown shoes. As I looked up at her she blushed wildly and got off of me quickly, and this snapped me out of my trance. I got up and rubbed the back of my head, which I had slammed down in the ground, brushed off dust from my clothes and looked over at her with an apologetic smile "Uhh i-i-i´m spry for that" I stuttered as I couldn´t contain my embarrassment, which made me trip over my own words.

She looked at me as she dusted herself off, then she looked around. I did the same. It seemed that people had already forgot the incident, as everyone had begone to move forward again. I sighed a little and looked over at the girl, who looked at me with an angry huff as she puffed out her cheeks and pout her hands on her hips, glaring at me "Watch where you´re going! Geez" she exclaimed as she began picking up the books she had dropped due to me bumping into her. I immediately bent down to help her and soon she had all her school materials back in her possession "Thanks I guess…" she muttered under her breath as she looked at me.

I smiled a little and nodded slowly as the blush that had been evident on my cheeks for a couple of minutes was now slowly disappearing. We stood there in silence for a couple of seconds before she cut the silence "Well thanks for helping me with my books but I really have to get to class." I looked at her with a little smile and nodded "But can you help me with a little thing before you go?" I asked softly as we walked down the hall. She sighed a little and looked at me "yeah sure. What is it?" She asked as she looked me in the eyes.

I almost got lost in her eyes again but I just managed to pull myself together "W-Well I can´t find my locker. C-Can you help me?" I asked as I rubbed my arm awkwardly. She shrugged a little and smiled "Well tell me what class you´re going to and I can take you to that class´s lockers" She said with a smile. "Well i´m in class 2-3." I said as we started walking down the hall. She nodded a little and as we walked, I looked over at her. She wasn´t that tall. She was about a head lower than me.

When we got to my locker she smiled and I smiled back at her. "So find a free locker and be sure to hurry. Class will start soon" She said before starting to walk towards her own class, her hair waving behind her. I Looked after her and hesitated before shouting "H-Hey! I don´t even k now your name!" I shouted as she continued down the hall. She turned her head towards me as she walked and smiled before shouting back "I´m Mayu! See you later Tomoya!" I smiled a little and grabbed my shirt in front of my heart, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading from the place I held. I Smiled a little and went in through the door to my class and sat down, not able to take the thoughts of the girl I had just met.

_Later, at the cafeteria_

I sat down at an empty table and looked around. The school cafeteria was crammed full of young girls and boys, some my age, some a little younger. Everyone was smiling, laughing and chatting and playing with their pokemon. Everyone seemed to have a good time, so I was looking forward to getting some new friends. I was still really shy though, so up until now I only had Grotle as my friend. I pushed the button for his pokeball and he soon came out with a happy growl "Grotle!" He exclaimed happily as he basically jumped on my lap. How he did it I have no idea but the table was about to collapse under his weight so I pushed him down and handed him some of the poffins I had brought with me to school. He happily gulåed them down and yelled his name loudly, to which I responded with a chuckle and a pat on his head.

"You really enjoy those poffins don´t you?" I asked as I knelt down at kept petting and patting him. He rubbed his face towards my hands, clearly enjoying it. I smiled and chuckled as his happy expression sent my memory back. Back to Sinnoh. To my family there. "I wonder…" I mumbled, and Grotle looked up at me with a concerned expression " Do you think they miss us back home Grotle?" I asked my best friend as he looked up at me. He pushed me gently but playfully with his head as he sent a cheerful smile my way, almost as to say "Don´t be sad Tomoya". I smiled a little and rubbed his forehead "You always cheer me up budy" I said as I chuckled and patted him.

As I patted my partner´s head, Mayu came over and sat beside me "Oh hey Mayu" I said with a smile as the thoughts of my past left my head, and was replaced with thoughts about Mayu. "Hey Tomoya. Are you holding together ok?" She asked sweetly. I nodded a little and took a bite of the sandwich I had made this morning, chewing on it happily "Well I still think it´s a pretty big school." I said happily" But I guess I will be able to find my way around when I have been here for some time." Mayu nodded in response and opened her own lunchbox. "Yeah I know what you mean." She said with a smile "I swear the first day I was here I ended up at the wrong classroom and ended up interrupting a test. It was so embarrassing" She exclaimed as a slightly pink colour appeared on her cheeks. I chuckled a little "i`m sure you worked everything out eventually though" I said as I took another bite of my sandwich, soon finishing it.

As we sat there and talked I sensed how well we mixed together. Even though we had just met it wasn´t awkward or hard to pick up a conversation with her at all. We chatted and chatted, and Mayu introduced me to her very first pokemon, an adorable and most beautiful little Eevee. As she took her Eevee out of it´s pokeball it immediately barked and jumped up into her arms, tickling her nose with it´s tail. She giggled a little and ran her hands over it´s back before putting it down to Grotle, who roared happily and sent Eevee a smile. She barked happily and rubbed her face against Grotle´s, which resulted in an obvious blush from Grotle, and several giggles and laughs from me and Mayu.

Soon the lunch break ended and I sighed a little before standing up and throwing the trash I had collected from my lunch in the trashbin, before heading towards my next class. To my surprise Mayu walked with me to the same classroom "You´re having maths now too?" I asked with a smiled as I opened the door for her politely "Oooh what a gentleman!" she said with a chuckle and a smirk before heading inside." And yeah I have maths now." She said with a smile before sitting down in the back of the class and pulling out the stuff she needed. I smiled a little and sat beside her, but not long after I did that I was suddenly and harshly pushed out of my chair.

I growled a little of pain and looked up at the person that had just taken my seat. He was not much older than me. He had blonde spiky hair, was wearing a yellow tanktop and a black shirt, and white pants, and his face was painted with a smug and satisfied expression. My growls then turned into growls of anger as I soon jumped back onto my feet "Hey what the hell?!" I yelled loudly as I glared at the guy. Everyone turned their heads towards the commotion but I didn't care. All I was thinking about was the guy. I swear if looks could kill…

"This is my seat" he simply exclaimed with an uninterested mumble, before he lazily looked away and put his face in his hands, pretending I didn´t exist "Well I don´t see your name anywhere on this table jackass!" I exclaimed angrily. My timidness had completely vanished off the face of the earth, and it was not easy to recreate at this point. My anger did get quelled slightly though when I felt a soft tug in my hand. I looked at my hand and realised Mayu had grabbed my hand "Tomoya please just get another seat." She almost begged as she looked up at me with a sad expression. I frowned a little and growled as I took another seat in the far end of the classroom, and sighed a little. I smiled widely though when I realised that Mayu had moved too, and sat right beside me. It was good to know that she preferred to sit with me rather than this prick. I looked over at the guy and he sent me an angry glare, I huffed and looked at the teacher, who had just arrived to the classroom.

_After class_

"So who was that prick anyway?!" I asked Mayu angrily as we walked down the hall from the last class of the day. She sighed a little and furrowed her brow "His name is Ryusei. He has been hitting on me ever since 6th grade." She huffed a little and sighed "He is known to be quite the bully at this school. He has a group of people or "The gang" as he would call it, who goes around and steal other peoples stuff and lunch money." I growled a little and clenched my fists "Why isn´t the principal doing anything?" I asked in disbelief. _`Maybe it wasn´t such a good idea to come here after all`_

"Well the principal does indeed think that Ryusei has done these things but both him and his parents hide behind the excuse that if we don't have bullet proof evidence, the principal can´t do jack." She said with a huff "We can´t do anything about him right now. Let´s just put him out of our minds ok?" She said as her angry expression turned into an adorable smile. It immediately turned my frown into a smile and I nodded as we continued out to the main gates and away from the school grounds.

_Some time later_

"Well I live here so…" Mayu said softly as we approached what seemed to be a pretty decent house. I smiled at her slightly and nodded slowly "See you tomorrow?" she asked softly as she looked into my soul with those beautiful eyes of hers. I blushed a little as I once again felt captivated by her eyes, and stammered a little "Y-Yeah see you tomorrow" I said as I smiled awkwardly. She smiled and nodded before walking up to her house and waving at me, before walking inside and closing the door behind her. I once again felt a warmth emit from my heart and chuckled a little as I made my way home.

I barely got any sleep that night. I had eaten my dinner, let Grotle have his pokemon food, put him to bed in my room, and crawled under my covers myself desperately trying to get some sleep. But I couldn´t stop thinking about her. About Mayu. I desperately tried to keep her out of my head but even in the small amounts of sleep I got, she haunted my thoughts. Every time I thought about those beautiful orbs for eyes she had, I couldn´t stop smiling. I kept telling myself that I had just met her, that I had made this mistake before. Trusted a girl blindly I mean. I tried to convince myself that the thing I was doing right now was dangerous, and I had to stop it. But I never managed to convince myself, before I rolled over onto my side, and finally fell asleep. Even though I closed my eyes I could still see her behind my eyelids. The dreams I had about her was long and sugarsweet. And I was convinced that even in my sleep I was grinning from ear to ear, happy that I had made my first friend in my new pokemon high school.

**A/N**

**And that was Pokemon High school for you :D  
What do you say? Did you like reading it? Cause I sure liked writing it.**

**I hopes you guys enjoyed reading and I will see you next week.**

**See ya folks!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Making Friends

_Pokemon High School_

_Chapter 2 – Making Friends_

A soft nudge at the side of my head made me wake up from my, for once, peaceful slumber. I blinked a couple of times in sleepy confusion, before turning my face towards the source of the nudging. I should have seen it coming, but of course it was Grotle that tried to nudge me awake. What else would it be anyway?

I moaned softly from irritation and sat up in my bed as I patted Grotle softly on his head. He responded with a happy smile and a few wafts of his tail. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and yawned as I stretched, looking around at my room´s walls, which was adorned by several drawings and paintings of me and Grotle together on several adventures from our past.

But, one also sat in the middle of all that. One I was embarrassed to show to anyone, let alone even speak of. When I had woken up in the middle of the night last night, I hadn´t been able to sleep. My mind had begun drifting back to school… Back to her. Mayu. She was, interesting, to say the least.

With short brown hair that reached her shoulders, glimmering slightly in the sunlight, her school uniform fitting her body perfectly, sitting right in all the right places. Her eyes, her blue eyes, which almost felt like they could fell entire armies with just a single glare when she was pissed, but heal any wound with a simple gaze when caring, had been one of the things I had noticed most about her.

Her school uniform had fit her so perfectly as well. The short skirt and her open shirt made it daring, without leaving too little to imagination. Which a tank top underneath, her clothing really fit her well.

How was I supposed not taking an interest in her?

In the middle of the night, since I couldn´t sleep, and was only able to think about her, I had decided to draw her, as I remembered her from memory. My lead black pencil had run across the paper gracefully, perfectly drawing the soft curves of Mayu and her traits.

Ever since I was little, I had had an interest in drawing. Whenever I had come home from an adventure with Grotle, or whenever I would come home from ground school, I would grab a pencil and draw away. My friends and my Pokémon at the time was always happy topics I always picked up on. But yesterday had been a night where a new topic had come into play.

"Mayu~" I said with a soft smile "I wonder what we´re going to talk about today, huh Grotle?"

I asked this to my trustworthy partner as I softly rubbed his head, receiving a smile and a soft cry of happiness in return. I yawned again and put a hand over my mouth as I stood onto my feet, and grabbed my newly washed school uniform and a white t-shirt underneath, before walking to the bathroom to wash myself down.

I stood in front of the mirror for a few moments, examining my face and hair.

"Maybe Mayu would like it if I colored my hair," I mumbled silently as I took a glance at Grotle "What do you say buddy?"

Grotle looked up at me with a half suspicious rise of an eyebrow as he smirked at me, almost as if to say "You´re trying to impress her aren´t you?"

"Oh don´t look at me like that!" I mumbled with a huff and a small blush "It´s not like that. I just want to look good for my first new friend"

Grotle rolled his eyes and went back to the kitchen, waiting patiently for his breakfast. I smiled a little as I brushed my hair and teeth and sighed happily as I went into the kitchen, and poured some pokemon food into Grotle´s bowl. I got myself some breakfast and grabbed some money from my piggy bank, before heading out with Grotle, towards my second school day.

I smiled a bit as I looked up at the school building. Today I would have art, which was one of the reasons I had chosen this school. Besides pokemon trainer classes, this school also had proper educational classes, to those people who wished to only be trainers in their young days.

Now that I thought about it, I didn´t remember seeing my parents ever picking up a pokeball.

I smiled a little as I stepped into the halls, looking around in wonder. My new-kid nerves yesterday had made me jumpy, nervous. Only now I really took in the marvel of the school. It was big, to say the least. Giant and wide hallways with hundreds of students passing in and out between each other, hurrying towards their next class.

You could reflect your own face in the floor tiles, and the lockers on each side of the hall between the oak doors of the classrooms, was shining a pretty light blue.

I smiled a little as I stepped up to my own locker, and entered my code. The loud buzzing of hurrying students sounded in my ear, reminding me I had to hurry as well if I didn´t want to be late. I grabbed my books from my locker and slammed it shut, turning around and heading into the mass of students.

I pouted a bit as I finally reached the right classroom.

"Jesus Christ" I panted as I leaned against the oak door "How many students in is this school?"

"About a few hundred, to be realistic"

Suddenly I heard a voice from right beside me, and I looked up from my lounged down crouch, to see who was suddenly talking to me. For a split second I thought it was Mayu, the voice I had just heard resembling hers, but I was slightly disappointed when I realized it was not her.

It was another girl actually. She looked like she was about 16 or 17 of age. She had long blue hair, which was put up in a neat ponytail. Her emerald green eyes was covered with a red pair of glasses, making her seem more sophisticated, almost like a teacher. Her school uniform said otherwise though. Her honest and bright smile was accompanied by a couple of tiny freckles on each cheek.

"Oh, uh hi!" I said, with my best attempt at a smile, trying not to seem too surprised "uh, thanks for answering my question I guess"

"Yeah, it was the best way to get your attention" She said with a small smile "Not to be rude, but you´re kind of in the way"

"Oh damn, sorry!" I said in surprise.

Only now I realized that, since I was leaning against the classroom door, I was standing in the way for the other students to enter. Behind the girl, a line of irritated male and female students stood, glaring at me.

I blushed dark red and immediately removed myself away from the door, letting the student mass enter.

"U-Uh I'm sorry guys!" I said with an embarrassed smile.

A few glares and curses was sent my way, and I sweat-dropped a little as I watched the students cram inside.

"So much for leaving a good impression" I said with a sigh, about to enter the classroom. I was slightly, but surely pleasantly, surprised when I saw the blue haired girl standing by the door, waiting for me.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" She asked with a wide smile "Get inside, Slowpoke!"

"Did you seriously just nickname me with a Pokémon name?" I asked with a smile as I followed her inside.

"Yup, don´t like it?" She said with a teaseful smirk "Maybe I should just call you by your name then."

"Good idea." I said with a smile as I reached out my hand "I´m Tomoya"

The girl smiled softly and took my hand with a surprising firm grip.

"I´m Claire," She said with a smile and a gleeful jump in her place "hope we´ll become great friends"

"That sounds good to be honest." I said with a smile "A friend who knows this place would be good"

"Yeah, I know how you feel." She said with a smile "There´s a free space beside me, so be free to sit down if you´d like"

"U-Uhm sure." I said with a small blush at her invitation.

Her gleeful attitude had kind of surprised me to be honest. I liked her way of approaching people though. A joke was always a good way to break the ice, and she had definitely hit the home run, and made a good introduction.

I smiled softly and placed my books onto the free desk, smiling softly at Claire as I placed myself in the seat. I pulled out a notebook from my backpack as well, and some pencils, some of lead, and some with color.

"You into drawing?" Claire asked, my equipment apparently peaking her interest.

I nodded a bit and smiled softly as I looked over at her, happy that she was pulling up a subject so I didn´t have to think about it.

"Yeah, I am." I said with a smile as I opened my notebook, showing her some of my drawings "Ever since I was little"

"Oh wow…" She stared at my drawings in awe, her eyes widening from amazement "Those drawings are amazing!"

"N-Nah, they´re not all that good." I said with an embarrassed smile, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"No, seriously!" She said with an amazed expression "I´m not sure even our teacher can draw that well! She´s mostly into paintings, and coal drawings!"

"O-Oh come on," I said with a smile "s-stop kidding with me! It´s not that big of a deal."

"You´re delusional." Claire said with a smirk "You should try showing her some of those drawings. I´m sure you´ll receive a lot of praise."

Those words struck me a bit. Those were the same words one of my old friends had used when…

~Flashback~

"Come on man, you´re delusional! I´m sure she´ll be really impressed if you just show her those drawings!"

"Are you crazy!? I barely have the balls to talk to her!"

"Come on, you know she´s into drawing! You´re amazing at drawing, so just pull that up as a topic!"

"You´re the delusional one here if you ever thought I could man up to even approach her!"

~End of flashback~

"Tomoya! Tomoya!"

I was ripped out of my discomforting flashback by Claire, who was looking at me with a concerned, but slightly irritated expression.

"Are you listening at all!?"

"Oh, sorry Claire, I uh.." I mumbled as I looked down at my drawings with a sigh "I wasn´t paying attention. Could you say that again?"

"I was just saying," She said with a pout "that I might be introducing you to my friends this lunch break."

"Oh, really?" I asked with a smile "Are they all Pokémon trainers?"

"Some." She said with a smile "But we´re all beginners. We mostly focus on our normal academics."

"I guess that´s somewhat of a good thing." I said with a smile "You can´t stay a Pokémon trainer forever."

"That´s very true." She said with a smile, which then turned into another smirk "But, I´m pretty sure you can live by selling those drawings."

"Again with those drawings." I said with a sigh "I told you, they´re not that good. And the teacher is coming, so keep quiet already!"

"Fine, but this conversation is not over!" Claire said with a giggle as she turned her head to listen to the teacher.

"Hello, and welcome dear students!" The teacher said with a smile "Today, I would like to introduce you to a new student!"

I blushed a little and pouted a bit as I hid my face the best I could.

´Again with this?´ I asked myself internally ´I thought we had been through this already´

I sighed softly and smiled a little as I stood up in my seat. I wasn´t used to this kind of attention, even with my popularity at home. I smiled the best I could without letting my embarrassment getting the best of me, and waved a little at the other students.

"H-Hey guys" I mumbled shyly, earning approving nods from some of the other students, some only smiling politely.

The greeting in this class felt so much better than the one yesterday. The students in this class felt so much more welcoming and friendly. I hoped I would get many more friends here, and not repeat what had happened in the past. All I needed to do, was hiding my past from whoever might take any kind of interest in me. And I wouldn´t be hated out of town like I was before.

"U-Uhm, I´m Tomoya" I said with a polite bow "I-I hope we get to spend a lot more time together"

Another couple of nods and smiles, and I smiled back, as I sat down, and blushed a little as I heard excited whispering in the corners of the classroom.

"Tomoya? Is he Japanese?"

"He seems pretty shy. You think he´s a bookworm?"

"Never mind that, he´s cute."

I blushed dark red and hid my face in my notebook, giggling and chuckling soon to follow.

"Ok class, settle down please." The teacher said with a smile, looking down at me "I´m miss Peterson Tomoya. I hope we all get along."

"Y-yes miss." I said with a blush, barely able to contain my embarrassment.

I blushed an even darker shade of red as excited giggling rushed through the classroom, and as miss Peterson turned to the drawing board, Claire dug an elbow into my side.

"Nice one Tomoya!" She said with a sarcastic tone "Keep going like that, and you´ll soon be the most popular guy in school!"

"Shut up." I mumbled as I glared at her irritated "It´s not funny."

"Then why do I have such a bad time, trying not to laugh?" She said as she tried stifling another giggle.

"Because you´re being an ass." I said with a chuckle as I elbowed her back.

"Come on guys, pay attention!" Ms. Peterson said with a dangerously happy smile.

I flinched a little as Ms. Peterson had put the classes attention to me and Claire, and in the corner of my eye I saw how red Claire´s face was before we both turned our faces and our attention to the lecture.

"S-Sorry!" We said in perfect unison.

Another giggle railed through the classroom, as the lecture and Ms. Peterson continued.

~After Class~

I sighed and smiled softly as class was dismissed, laying my books back into my bag.

"It sucks we can´t take our Pokémon out in this class," I mumbled with a sigh "Grotle would have loved to be a model for the class."

"Oh, so your partner is a Grotle huh?" Claire said with a smile "How long have you had him?"

"Ever since I was little." I said with a smile "He evolved from a Turtwig not long ago. About 2 months prior to this."

"Really?" She asked with a smile as we exited the classroom together. "That´s cute. Almost like it was taken out of a story."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, her talking piquing at my interest.

"You know," She said as she stuck her tongue at me teasefully "a young hero, and his trustful partner Pokémon by his side, going on a journey, destined to save the world."

With her story she threw her arms out in a motion that would make it look like she was part of a Shakespeare act. She talked loudly and melancholy, making it seem like she was a narrator of some sort.

"You´re such a dork." I said with a chuckle "Though the idea sounds nice. We´ve had all kinds of adventures back in my hometown."

"That sounds nice." Claire said with a smile "Let´s hope you guys´ stay at this school will become another adventure."

"Right." I said with a smile as I walked up to my locker.

To my surprise Claire didn´t turn in her tracks to wait for me, or just walked down the hall, like I had predicted, but turned when she walked a bit in front of me and began entering a code on a nearby locker, actually right next to my own locker. Somehow I had made friends with my locker neighbor.

Trying to pick up from the conversation earlier, and rid myself of my surprise, I cleared my throat harshly.

"S-So, do you have any Pokémon partners?" I asked, having a feeling that I should show some interest in her by now.

Claire´s expression suddenly changed from a happy smile to something that looked like a mix between slight surprise and depression. She lowered her gaze a little and her smile faded a bit as she pondered over her answer.

"Well, I do, but…" She mumbled with a weak voice "He isn´t really listening to me lately."

"Oh…"

I feared that I had stepped all over her feelings without thinking. With the thought that I might have stepped onto the territory of a painful topic, I quickly pulled myself out of the same territory with a quick apology.

"I-I´m sorry if it´s a bad topic." I said quickly "I didn´t know that uhm…"

"No, it´s ok" Claire said as she looked at me with what seemed like a smile, though I wasn´t sure.

She seemed like she was trying to hide her sadness, to make me not worry, though the tears that was currently forming in the corners of her eyes only made me worry even more.

"I-If you say so." I mumbled, deciding to leave it alone.

As we put away our books for art and took the books for our next class, and headed off down the hall.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Wild Douche Appeared!

_Pokémon High School_

_Chapter 3 – A Wild Douche Appeared!_

I was currently lying in my bed in my room, staring up at the ceiling as the silent moonlight fell in from the nearby open window. The curtains swayed silently as a soft July wind swept through my open window, causing some slight relief to my overheated body.

The reason for my warmth was not the fact that it was hot in the air, or my radiator was set to a too high setting. The reason for my warmth, was the constant internal conflict I had with myself. I was constantly battling my own mind, one side of me having one opinion, and the other having another.

I was doubting whether or not I should keep close to the two new friends I had gained these last few days. I was scared that history would repeat itself. That horrible tragedy.

~Flashback~

"_HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER!? SHE WAS YOUR FRIEND!"_

"_You´re a monster! A monster!"_

"_Get out! We no longer wish to speak with you!"_

~End of flashback~

I flinched slightly and swallowed my spit as I remembered the horrible memory. I sighed silently and looked up at the ceiling with a worried expression.

"Will all of that happen again?" I asked no one in particular "Will all those horrible things just repeat themselves if I decide to interact with others?"

"Grotle~"

I widened my eyes a little and looked to my bedside, where Grotle was standing with a worried expression. I smiled silently and patted him silently on the head.

"It´s ok Grotle" I mumbled silently as I rubbed his forehead "This is something I have to figure out myself"

"Grotle~" he cried silently as he pushed his head against my hand lovingly.

I smiled a bit and patted his head softly as I sat up in bed.

"Yeah, I can´t sleep either" I mumbled as I swung my legs over the beds edge "You feel like having a new nightly adventure buddy?"

He smiled silently and waddled his tail a little as he nodded, excitedly crying his name. I nodded silently and smiled softly as I patted his head a last time, before pulling on my casual wear, packing up some stuff, and heading out for another adventure with my partner.

As we headed out onto the street, nothing much of interest was happening. A couple of late night workers in uptight business suits was up and down the street, tired and exhausted after a long day of work. A couple of men and women was standing on a street corner, offering cigarettes to random passing people.

The moon and stars hung over the mostly sleeping city like a blanket over a child, and the wind served as a nice change from my warm and sweaty bedroom. I sighed softly and smiled a little as we stood in a minute of silence, letting the wind brush against our faces.

We then turned left down a nearby side-street, and headed for the local park in town. I hadn´t had much time to explore the city when I came here, but what little I had seen had amazed me. I had been extremely lucky getting such a well-placed apartment as I had, since everything, from the local pharmacy to the bookstore wasn´t more than a throw of a stone away.

I smiled silently and looked down at my feet as I realized hard concrete had been replaced with soft and crunching dirt-road as me and Grotle had entered the park. It was a wonderful and big place. This much I had had time to see. It was a big place too, having space for several playgrounds and ponds, where people and Pokémon alike had many possibilities of making fresh new memories.

The lush trees whispered silently to their visitors as the July wind passed through them, welcoming any visitor of the park to a place, where anything was possible. I smiled silently as I let my body lean against a massive oak tree in the middle and Grotle lied down in the long grass, his body as relaxed as can be.

I looked around at the empty playgrounds, the swings half-rusted chains squeaked a little as the wind picked up slightly.

I began to ponder. How many lives had passed through the park I wonder? How many children could have had the joy of growing up in this city? How many children´s dreams had sprung to life in here? How much love for another person could have bloomed here? Had any man wondered whether he should confess his undying love to someone here or not?

How many choices had possibly been set in this park? This placed served as a gathering place for people, Pokémon, and memories. I knew this park meant a lot to a lot of people. Would I be able to make such memories too? Would this place be a place I would one day look back on as an important milestone for my life?

No, it couldn´t possibly. I had to stay away from people, for their sake. I was too dangerous to be around, even for myself. Grotle was the only person I knew I could trust with anything, and who I knew trusted me just as much. But I also knew that if I ever revealed my past to anyone, they would chase me out of this otherwise beautiful place without a moment of hesitation.

This place would then only become a resting place on the road. A point on my journey I only had to pass through to get to the next big challenge. And I didn´t want that. This place had already touched me somehow, it reminded me so much of my past and my hometown. The people I loved from back there. The exact same people that now hated me to the core, and my very existence.

I sobbed silently as I thought back on her. Those soulful emerald green eyes. That long brunette hair that almost reached her hips. The way she would always strut like a princess down the road when she saw me, or her happy smile that forever would be burned into my memory and soul.

The way should would always flick her wrist a little when she had written a sentence in her textbook. The way her eyes always shone when we were alone together, or how she always made sure everything about her, from top to bottom, was neatly arranged only to her liking. How she never cared what people thought of her, and how hard she worked for the people she cared about.¨

She had been the person that was the hardest to leave behind. But the whole fact that that it was her that my past revolved around the most, only made all the more clear to me that I had to do, what I had to do. Leaving the people behind in my hometown, was the best solution for all parts. We had all been hurt back there. And me leaving, was the only way to let everyone be relieved of their pain, and forget the past.

I widened my eyes and gasped a bit from surprise as I was suddenly ripped out of my thoughts by a call from afar. I blinked my eyes a couple of times as I tried to get my thoughts straight, realizing it was that jerk from two days ago that had called out to me.

"Yo! You there!" He yelled as he stomped up to me "You´re that loser from two days ago right?"

He growled aggressively as he stuck a finger in my face, trying to push me against the oak trunk behind me. I wasn´t intimidated by his harsh behavior however, and simply did the same thing as he had done that day, which was turn uninterested, and pretend he didn´t exist.

"Oh, it's the gorilla without manners" I mumbled silently as I pretended to care for my nails "you done picking fleas out of your hair?"

"W-What did you say punk!?" He growled silently as he clenched his fist "I´ll beat you down where you stand!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever" I mumbled as I pretended to yawn.

It felt amazing to piss him off. Maybe I would toy with him just a bit more.

"So, did you want anything with me?" I asked silently as I watched him with an uninterested expression "Or did you just walk over here to mark your territory like a silverback does?"

"W-What… U-Uhmm…"

He was taken slightly aback by my reference to what would be considered the leader of a gorilla pack, but tried to get back to his wits.

"W-Well, no I didn't" He mumbled with a cough "What I was doing is, that I was challenging you. Behind the school building, after school. We´ll finish this once and for all"

He smirked silently as he lifted up in his sleeves, revealing his somehow toned upper and lower arms, flexing his muscles in front of me as he cracked his knuckles in an attempt to scare me. I simply rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Fair enough, if you really want your ass beat" I mumbled silently "Now could you leave me alone? I need to consider how much I want to humiliate you"

"Cockiness can be fatal you little shit" He mumbled silently as he spit on my shoes and walked off.

I huffed silently at him and rubbed off my shoe in the grass, before looking up at the stars with a smile.

"Too bad for you," I mumbled silently with a confident smile "That I have taken self defense classes"

I chuckled silently and sighed as I was about to leave the park, when…

"Heeeyy! Tomoya!"

Suddenly I heard a high pitched yell from behind me. I turned around, and smiled slightly as I saw Mayu run towards me.

from bottom to top, she was wearing a set of black shoes, and tall black stockings. Over those sat a black and white checkered skirt, accompanied by a white frilled shirt. Around her neck hanged a silver chain with a small locket in it, and she had let her hair loose and hanging down her back, and it waved after her as she ran up to me.

"Hey! Where did you come from?" I asked softly as I looked down at her with a smile.

It was only now I realized how much smaller she was in comparison to me. She only reached me to my shoulders, even if she would stand on her tip toes.

I smiled softly and ruffled her hair a bit to tease her. She pouted a bit and glared up at me childishly as she fixed her hair. She hit my arm playfully as she fixed the last locks of hair, smiling softly.

"Well, I´m just out for a nightly walk" She said with a smile "So, what are you doing out here? Isn´t it past your curfew?"

"Curfew!? Pfft" I said with a chuckle "Like I need a curfew"

"Yeah sure" She said with a smile "You come here often?"

"No, this is actually my first time" I said with a smile as I turned my gaze towards the park "It´s a beautiful place though"

"Yeah, it is" She mumbled in response as she sighed "It´s just too bad that Ryusei and his goons hang around here. They are only tainting this place"

She pointed silently towards a small spot where several burger bags, burned cigarets and beer bottles laid. I growled silently as I jogged over and began picking it up, and putting it in the trashcan nearby.

"Geez, seriously!?" I growled silently, my hatred towards him only growing "A trashcan is standing literally less than five feet away!"

"Yeah I know" She mumbled with a sigh "Tomoya, I heard him talking to some friends that you guys are meeting after school. That isn´t true is it?"

"Yes, it is true" I mumbled with a sigh as I picked up the last beer bottle "It´s happening behind the school building"

"You´ve dug yourself into a grave you know" She mumbles silently "He´s beaten up a lot of kids who dared speak back to him. And now that you´ve pissed him off, you´ll only get his worse treatment"

"Yeah, I figured as much" I said with a smile "But don´t worry. Both me and Grotle know how to stand on our own. We´ve done that for more than a year now"

"R-Really?" Mayu looked at me with a worried expression, and to be honest it made me a little uneasy "Don´t you have any parents?"

We were getting dangerously close to what I didn´t want to happen. She was getting closer to finding out my past, and it was really making me nervous. I swallowed a bit from the fear of letting her find out the truth, and I hid my eyes with a hand as I spoke.

"T-That is something I would rather not talk about" I mumbled silently as Grotle softly nudged my leg "I-It is rather personal"

"Oh, I´m sorry then" She mumbled with a respectful bow "But you seriously have to be careful. If you aren´t, you might end up on the hospital… Or worse…"

I nodded silently and smiled over at her as I ruffled her hair again, slightly moved by her present concern for me, and I couldn´t help but feel slightly happier when she was nearby. She reminded me a lot about the person I loved, whom I had left behind. I sighed silently and let my hand fall from the top of her hand, before I looked up into the sky once again.

"It´s getting late isn´t it?" I asked silently and Mayu nodded and hummed in agreement "Come on, I´ll walk you home"

Mayu seemed to become quite flustered by this as she began mumbling and stuttering, the words coming out from her being one big mess.

"W-what!? No I uhh you don´t really uh have to" She mumbled in a panic "M-My house is not long from here so, uhh you uhh I uhh…"

"Come on, let´s just go" I said with a calm smile as I tugged her along "Don´t want Ryusei or his goons to bother you right?"

Mayu blushed a little as I smiled back at her, but I didn´t mind her blushing. I tugged her along the road and let her lead me towards her residence.

~Later, Mayu´s POV~

I flopped silently onto my bed with a sigh, looking up at the dark ceiling. As usual, Eevee was as lively as ever as she sprung up onto the bed and into my lap, curling up in a ball. I smiled silently and rubbed along her back silently, as I placed her beside me and got my diary from under my pillow, getting my usual pen ready.

_Dear Diary._

_My intuition about going on a midnight stroll seemed to have been correct tonight. I met Tomoya over at the park today. I had seen how Ryusei is treating him. Why can´t he just leave people alone? He thinks he is so high and mighty, but when people begin ganging on him you begin his true cowardly nature. He is such a jerk! :(_

_But if there´s someone who isn´t a jerk, it´s Tomoya. He is always so nice when we talk together, and his and my own Pokémon get along so well. He is a mysterious one to be sure, but I think that´s one of his positive sides. He is such a giant though! He´s at least a head taller than me, and he doesn´t even try!_

_Whenever he bumps me on the head or ruffle my hair, I always find my heart skipping a beat. I wonder what this feeling in my chest is. I have only felt this ever once before, with Haruki. But even back then I wasn´t sure of my feelings. All I know is, that I don´t want this feeling to disappear ever again. _

_But I seriously think I´m going to go bonkers if I don´t find out what the hell this feeling is soon! Argh, why does life have to be so hard sometimes!?_

_It seems I only have this one distinct feeling when I´m around Tomoya lately. But what about him has made me feel like this!? Gah, I don´t even know what the hell it IS I´m feeling!_

_Well, at least I know that, if nothing more, I have found a fantastic friend in Tomoya. I hope we can stay like this for a long time._

_Oh, and I almost forgot. But Tomoya said he is going to meet Ryusei behind the school building after classes tomorrow. If I know Ryusei and his dirty tricks right, he has no intention on playing fair. Maybe I should go with Tomoya, just to make sure he´s going to be safe?_

_I don´t know why I care so much for this particular guy all of a sudden. This is a feeling I haven´t felt in a long time, so what is it that makes it happen? And why does it happen around Tomoya!?_

_Damn, I have way too many unanswered questions right now. Sleep would probably help me clear my head. I´ll see you again tomorrow diary. And I hope I can tll you that Tomoya is still fine._

_Mayu Xxoo_

I sighed silently as I closed my diary with a smack and put it where it belonged under my pillow. I lied my head on top of my pillow, silently tapping in the covers with my foot, trying to make the time fly and make myself fall asleep. I soon found myself running all these hard questions through my head again, getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

But at long last I finally felt how sleep was beginning to grab hold of me, and pull me along to dream land.

**A/N**

**Hey there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Ohh what is happening with Mayu all of a sudden? Do I detect a bit of Tsundere in her maybe?**

**I damn hope so cause that is my favorite Dere trope XD**

**Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you again next week!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Gossips and Showdowns

_Pokémon High School_

_Chapter 4 – Gossips and Beat Downs_

I sighed silently as i sat on the bus on the way to school. I looked around me and rolled my eyes at the chaos. Paper flew everywhere, two girls in the corner was talking loudly to each other, somewhere a ringtone went off, somewhere in the back two guys was teasing a smaller nerd boy, and all in all the whole bus was just one big chaos.

I didn't know why the bus trip was taking so long. Maybe it was because I was nervous of the fight I was going to have with Ryusei later today. I knew it was stupid to even try, but if I really did have a chance of showing him his place, then I would be happy to take it. Either it was my pride or sheer stupidity that kept me going, or honestly, I didn't know which it was.

It was at days like this that I was happy that the school didn't forbid taking your Pokémon onto school grounds. I had made sure to take Grotle along with me, just in case something happened. I felt slightly better when I thought about it, but still, my nervousness was still getting the better of me.

'Why did I choose to be so cocky around him?!' I thought to myself, thinking back to the night before in the park 'If he really is going to kick my ass, it's going to be thorough now'

I hit myself in the head internally at my own stupidity, but there was no going back now, since I had already slung my bag over my shoulder and placed myself in the bus.

I was ripped out of my thoughts when a group mixed between boys and girls suddenly approached me, jumping into the seats in front, beside and behind me. I didn´t bother to look at them, since I already had a feeling what they wanted.

One of them, a tall girl with long golden blonde hair and blue glasses, spoke up in a high pitched voice.

"Are you, like, the guy pissing off Ryusei yesterday!?" She demanded to know the answer.

I casted one glance at her and sighed silently, cracking my knuckes and getting myself into a more comfortable position in my seat.

"What, did he send spies?" I asked as I looked up at her "Or are you guys from FBI?"

"Woah, we've got a sassy one huh?" The girl said with a teasing smile.

Again, my cockiness was building up. People like that just made me so angry. When people usually pissed me off, I would either become really sassy or just try to ignore them, but something about these people made me just want to get it over with.

I gritted my teeth, and put some weight onto my slightly shivering hand, as I looked up at her with my best attempt at a blank expression. She smirked a bit and was about to speak up again, but was cut off by one of the boys, a slightly dark skinned boy with bangs.

"Just shut up and let me at him Jessica" He said as he wiped some sweat off his forehead "Listen man, you're more stupid than we thought if you really is going to face off against Ryusei"

I huffed a bit and scowled up at him with a glare. I noticed how the rest of the passengers had fallen silent, watching us with curious expressions.

"That might be so," I mumbled as I pulled some hair out of my face "But he's just as stupid if he thinks sending his goons at me would scare me"

"Well, let me tell you something" Another guy spoke up "We're not Ryusei's goons or whatever. We're here to give you some advice"

"Just forget about it Matt" A brunette said sternly "Clearly he isn't willing to hear us out"

The guy, apparently named Matt, ignored her and continued.

"Listen, Ryusei is pissed since you bumped into Mayu the other day" He mumbled silently, hushing it down "He isn´t going to go easy at you"

"Well no shit" I mumbled, starting to get irritated "But he isn´t god, no matter what he might think. He can't control me, or the people I decide to bump into"

"Hmm, guess it can't be helped" He mumbled, sounding disappointed. Good luck or whatever"

He motioned for the rest of the group, consisting of around three girls and 2 guys, to follow him back to their seats. It seemed like he was the "boss" Of that little group I guess. Most of them did what he told them, but one of the girls stayed behind and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. She smiled a little bit and bend down to whisper in my ear.

"I think it's pretty cool how you stand up to him like that" She mumbled silently. "Call me if you need anything"

With this she put her hand into her pink skirt pocket and pulled out a note of some value, as she crammed it into my hands. I just stared at her with a wondering expression, before she smiled and walked back to her group.

I raised an eyebrow at her in bewilderment, and looked down at the small ball of paper. I folded it out, but I could immediately feel my face burn up when I read its contents.

Call me, ok? 3 Rise…

That small amount of words was enough to make the blood rush to my head, and make me dizzy. I stared down at the small piece of paper and read it's contents again and again, unable to make clear what had just occurred. Along with the words, a number was displayed.

"W-What the hell…" I mumbled silently, piquing a glance at the girl "W-Why would she…."¨

I sighed deeply and leaned my head back onto the back of the seat, looking up at the ceiling of the vehicle. I could hear silent whispering in the corner as the chaos from before began picking up again.

"Haha, what a nerd"

"He's probably never even scored before"

"He doesn't belong here at all. Ryusei will pull him apart"

I sighed and rolled my eyes at the gossip girls whispering about me as I looked out the window. I smiled silently and grabbed my trustworthy pen and notebook, finding new inspiration from the village-like scenery of the town of Twinleaf.

I sighed softly as I saw my high school tower over the rest of the buildings, being reminded of what was still going to come.

"Maybe Mayu will be there" I whispered to myself "Wait, why her specifically?"

As my mind had drifted back to the "fight" with Ryusei, my thoughts had fallen upon Mayu. For some reason, and even though I wanted to try and distance myself to her, I had still hoped she would come and cheer me on.

I beat myself in the head internally, and tried to force myself to focus on my drawing and the scenery outside.

As the bus arrived, and I stepped out onto the concrete of the street, I could feel several sets of eyes curiously checking me out. My encounters with Mayu on my first day, and with Ryusei yesterday, had apparently made me the center of attention.

Gossip had spread quickly, and soon, everybody in the school knew that I was going to meet Ryusei after school. But I guess that quick development was only to be expected on a high school.

I tried to conceal my blush as a couple of girls walked past me. I noticed that they were stealing glances at me, and when they realized, they quickly averted their gazes and giggled a little as they hurried on into the school building.

I sprinted inside and rushed to grab my books, before running ahead to art class, not even stopping as I heard Mayu call for me further down the hallway. I entered the classroom with a scowl, sitting at the far back of the room.

Soon enough I feel a sharp blow in my rips, and as I recover from the hit, I glare up at the person who did it, finding it out to be Claire.

"Oh, hey Claire" I said with a smile.

I widened my eyes in slight surprise as she glared at me with a scowl. Apparently the elbow in my ribs hadn't been her usual way of greeting me. My smile slowly dropped.

"C-Claire, what's wrong?" I asked her silently, worried I might have done something wrong.

She merely huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away sharply.

"Can't believe it…" Claire mumbled with a deep frown "I can't believe you would drop to his level…"

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting legitimately worried for her,

"Don't act like you don't know!" She said with an angry growl "Aren't you going to meet Ryusei after school?"

I gasped a bit in surprise but looked away with a frown.

"Yeah, so?" I mumbled as I stared down in my sketchbook.

"How could you do this!?" She yelled angrily "Just so you know, I don't want one of my friends get beaten up"

I sighed silently and gazed up at her. I knew she was worried about me, but the way she expressed it… Her anger of my choices, it only pissed me off, and made me all the more determined to give Ryusei a beating.

"It's good that's not going to happen then" I mumbled as I bit into my pen "Unless you consider Ryusei your friend"

"Of course I don't, dumbass!" Claire yelled "I'm worrying about you of course! You're my friend, I don't want to see you hurt!"

"I won't be hurt, I promise you!" Now I was yelling too, and it was attracting attention from our classmates.

"How can you be so sure!?" tears began welling up in her eyes.

I widened my eyes a bit and stared at the slight glimmering of her tears in the corners of her eyes. I didn't know my decisions affected her this much.

"C-Claire…" I mumbled, stunned "I-Is that tears?"

"N-No…" she mumbled as she quickly wiped her eyes "More importantly, you shouldn't show up! Just stay away!"

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't…" I mumbled, casting my gaze away from her "He deserves a beat down. And he needs to learn he can't just trample on anyone he wants"

"That's not the problem here" Claire said with a frown "It's your pride. You only want revenge, isn't that right?"

"N-No, that's not it!" I mumbled unsecurely.

Maybe she really was onto something. As we argued, curious and excited whispering echoed through the classroom.

"hmm, what is Claire doing, talking to that guy?"

"Well, she does talk to all the new students"

"But with that drawing dork? Why would she?"

I frowned slightly as I looked around me, blushing slightly from the gossip of Claire and me. I decided to ignore it and focus on Claire.

"Just forget about it, ok?" I mumbled silently "I will be fine, I promise"

She clenched her hands and began tearing up again, but sighed silently, defeated.

"Fine, do what you want" She mumbled with a huff "Just be careful ok? Don't want that cute face of yours all beat up"

She winked at me and smiled a little as she wiped the last tear. I blushed dark red and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. What the hell was with everyone today!? I looked at her baffled, before trying to speak up.

"U-Uhm, w-what was that.." I mumbled silently as I stared at her.

"Shh, just get seated alright?" She said with a smirk "Class is about to start"

I was completely caught of guard by her sudden flirting and blushed dark red as I rushed back to my seat. I buried my nose in my notebook, trying not to let her get any other possibilities to tease me.

~After school~

I sighed silently as I packed away my final book and headed out into the hallway. It felt like every possible set of eyes was locked onto me, and I looked around me uncomfortably as I locked my stuff inside my locker. The fact that I was going to fight Ryusei had apparently spread faster than the black plague, and it wasn't pleasant feeling watched.

I sighed silently and grabbed my only pokéball from m belt, pressing it's button and sending out my partner. Grotle cried from excitement as he had finally been let out of his pokeball, looking up at me with a smile and a waft of his tail. I smiled and patted on his head, before crouching down on my knees to bring us into eye level.

"Grotle?" I asked softly as I petted him "You know what's about to happen, right?"

He nodded at me and growled slightly from worry as he rubbed his head against my leg like a cat. I smiled and continued to pet his head to calm him.

"I know buddy. But whatever happens, I don't want you to interfere unless he decides to send one of his own partners out, ok? I don't want you to get hurt too"

He nodded silently and looked at me with an enormous worry in his eyes. He smiled a bit and I nodded before sending him back in his pokéball, heading out to the back of the school.

I was slightly taken aback by the small crowd that had gathered here. Damn, and here I thought I could just get it over with and forget it. This rumor would surely spread with all those gossip gals hanging around at school.

I sighed softly and pushed my way through the crowd until we stood in the middle. Ryusei was standing there with a sly smirk, holding his dark jacket over his shoulder.

"So, you actually came?" he asked confidently as he stepped closer to me "Thought you were too much of a chicken to even show up"

"Yeah you wish" I mumbled as I pulled my jacket off and threw it on the ground "Let's just get this over with"

"Hmph, if you wish to have a beating then fine"

He threw his own jacket aside and went into a sloppy combat stance. I chuckled softly on the inside as I watched him try to act tough. He didn't even know how to stand properly, let alone fight. He was so full of it, and when it came down to it, he had nothing to have it in.

I sighed and smiled a little, as I went into a defensive stance. He smirked a bit and dashed forward to attack, his punches and kicks slow and easy to dodge. I chuckled softly as he threw another punch at me. I grabbed his arm in one hand and lifted it upwards, as I hit him straight in the armpit.

I smirked a bit as he growled and stumbled backwards, clenching his armpit in irritated pain.

"tch, you sure as hell am fast" He mumbled as he rubbed his armpit "I'll give you that much"

"Nah, not really" I mumbled as I stared at him with an uninterested expression "you're just so sluggishly slow that even a tractor could have kept up with you"

"You little piece of—!"

I smirked a bit as he dashed forward again, in humiliated rage. He had no idea what he was doing, and constantly opened himself to attacks. He was so predictable.

I stepped out of his way and tripped him, sending him flying onto the ground. A few giggles and laughs rippled through the otherwise silent crowd, but Ryusei sent them one glare and the laughing immediately stopped. He got back onto his feet and yelled as he charged forward again.

I sighed silently and shook my head. Didn't learn anything from failures. I stepped out of the way again, but instead of tripping him, I grabbed his arm and twisted it onto his back, using my finger strength to bent his hand upwards in a nasty angle, leaving him yell in pain as I pushed him out of the ring of people around us, and pinned him towards a nearby tree.

"You're way too easy man" I growled silently as I held him in his lock "I knew I didn't have to worry about you"

"Fuck you man" he whispered, and I yanked upwards in his arm, earning another cry of pain.

I smiled silently and tightened my grip on his wrist and arm as he struggled to get free. I smiled silently and turned him around as I threw him to the ground, the spectators stunned into wondering silence.

"If you ever bother me again with this crap" I mumbled as I pulled up in his hair "I will personally pull this wig off your head, one hair at a time, got it?"

He whimpered and nodded, desperately trying to get free of my grip. I let go of his hair and stood up again, letting him run away.

I smiled silently and turned my back to the stunned crowd without another word. I grabbed my school bag and hurried away from the starring crowd, not wanting to be the center of attention any further than I already had been.

I sighed silently and leaned against my locker in regret. It was exactly things like this that had placed me in that horrible situation back then. I just had to play hero, be the good guy. Why couldn't I just learn from my mistakes and stay in the background!?

I was ripped out of my thoughts suddenly as I heard Mayu and Claire yell for me as they ran up to me.

"Hey! Tomoya!"

I looked at them in surprise.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?" I asked, baffled to still see them around here.

"We saw how you gave that jerk a beating" Claire said with a smirk "That was so well done!"

"I still think violence is wrong" Mayu said with a stern expression "But I have to admit seeing that jerk getting humiliated for once"

Her stern expression shifted into a pleasant smile and I sighed silently as I began to relax.

"I still feel pretty bad about it" I mumbled silently, but couldn't help but smile "but it felt amazing!"

"Hell yeah! That's the attitude" Claire said as we high fived "Let's celebrate our small victory! Night at my place!"

"O-Oh uhm, I don't know if I can come today" I mumbled, trying to distance myself from them again.

"Come on Tomoya!" Claire whined as she jumped up and down "I promise, it will be fun! And you won't be the only guy, I promise! My brother will be there!"

"That's not really…"

"Come on! Come on!"

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a sigh. She looked at me with big begging eyes. I sighed again and shook my head, eventually giving up.

"Alright, alright, fine!" I mumbled "I'll be there"

"YES!" She fistpumped and laughed triumphantly "Mayu, you have to come too!"

"Well, I don't think I'm doing anything" she said with a smile "Cool, I'll be there"

"Good, now, let's get home and invite some more people!" Claire proclaimed loudly.

She took each one of our arms in her hands and dragged us along the hall with a laugh. I just looked at Mayu with a baffled expression and she looked back at me, before we both shook our heads with a smile and followed suit.

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Sorry if it was lame, but once again, the curse of writer's block have had me cornered! Damn you imagination!**

**Well, hope you liked it anyway, and see you next week!**

**Have an awesome week you guys!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Rise Minami

_Pokémon High School_

_Chapter 5 – Rise Minami_

~Tomoya's POV~

I sighed silently as I looked up at the building of Claire's home. From inside, I could already hear how her speakers was booming loud music. The music could probably be heard all over the neighborhood.

I sighed silently and looked down at my clothes. I hadn't put all that much into it. I had of course decided to put something nice on, since it was a party, but since I tried to distance myself from these people, and more or less had no choice to go or not, I had not been very up to standards with my clothes, just picking out a simple red and black shirt, and blue jeans, and not bothered to iron the shirt.

I casually stepped up to the porchstep of the house, and clicked the doorbell. I kind of doubted that it could be heard over all that noise, but somehow, someone had heard it, and soon the door was opened for me.

I tall guy with nice combed blonde hair stood there with a party happy smile, and smiled even brighter when he saw me. Did he know who I was?

"Hey! You're the new guy in Claire's class right?" he said warmly "Come on in, the party is in full swing"

"D-Do you know me?" I asked nervously as I politely stepped in through the door past him.

"Of course I do" he said with another heartfilled smirk "After all, Claire says this party is for you"

"Huh!? For me!?"

"Yeah you cluts! Or have you already forgotten you totally owned Ryusei?"

I couldn't quite get smart at his words. They sounded offending, cocky even, but still he had this warm smirk on his face, like it was only meant like a heartfilled gesture. On top of that, he starts calling me a cluts, and finishes off praising me for beating someone in a fistfight. He was hard to read, that's for sure.

"I'm not sure if you're trying to offend me or praise me to be honest" I mumbled as we walked in.

"In this case, it's a praise" he said with a laugh as he pointed down the hall "The others are in the living room, down the hall, and last door to the right"

"Thanks" I mumbled silently as I kicked off my shoes and walked down the hall.

The house itself was not much to speak of. It was a simple house, with pictures of Claire and her parents hanging here and there. I didn't see any other people around her age, so I guessed that she was a single kid.

I sighed silently before stepping into the living room. It seemed like I got pleasantly surprised. The outer perspective of Claire's house suggested that at least about 50 people was invited and was partying here, but to my surprise, only about 10 or 15 people was walking around, chit chatting or dancing like crazies.

To my bewilderment, the people that had talked to me on the bus, seemed to be here too. They, along with Mayu and Claire, was sitting on the sofa in front of the TV in one corner, while a guy and a girl was hovering over the stereo in another end, jabbering about what kind of music they should listen to.

Since Mayu and Claire was some of the only people I had been talking to at that school, I decided to sit with them. It irritated me a little that they just had to sit by those people who had crammed me at the bus, but I guess I couldn't do anything about it.

To my surprise, that girl who had given me her number, Rise, was also there. All of a sudden my heart began to jump around in my chest like crazy. I realized I still hadn't called her, like she had told me to. I guess I had been too focused on giving Ryusei a beating.

I blushed a little as I walked up to the group, flashing them the best and brightest smile I could muster.

"Hey everyone" I mumbled softly, just loud enough to be heard over the music as I sat down between Mayu and Claire.

"Hey! If it isn't the man of the hour" mayu said with a small smile "Great you could come"

"Yeah, it's good to be here" I said softly as I got comfortable on the couch.

I didn't know if I was completely comfortable being here. Not only didn't I know anybody here besides the girls I was sitting in-between, but these were people I was trying to distance myself from for their own sake, and my own. I didn't want history to repeat itself.

I smiled softly as one of the others passed me a beer and I took it with a nod. I wasn't sure how much alcohol I could take, but a simple canned beer couldn't hurt right?

"So, how does it feel that someone is throwing a party in your honor Tomoya?" the guy from the bus, Matt, said softly.

"I guess it's flattering" I said with a slight blush "I've never even been to a party before"

"Wait, what?"

They all looked at me in confusion and suspicion. I looked at them with a chuckle and shook my head.

"You heard right. Not once"

"Damn, you've missed out on a lot" Matt said with a laugh. He and the rest of his group chuckled a bit "So you don't know how these parties usually work?"

"I guess I have a small idea" I mumbled quietly as I looked over at him "just don't come to me for party ideas"

"Then we have an awesome first thing we can do" Rise said with a flirty wink, making me blush and get nervous "We could play Truth or Dare?"

"That's so cliché though" a girl in the farther back, with long dark hair and a set of glasses, spoke up "But I have to admit I can't think of any better ideas"

"Right, then let's do this!" Rise said enthusiastically "Alright, who is the youngest here? The youngest always starts you know!"

"Well, I know for a fact that I am not the youngest" Matt said with a smirk "I am 18 after all"

"Alright, how many here is 16?" The girl with glasses asked, and looked around at us.

In the end, Mayu, Me, and the girl with glasses, raised our hands. I guess she wanted to decrease the amount of candidates for the first truth and dare.

"Alright, which month are you guys born in?"

"I'm born in January" I mumbled silently as I looked at the other two "How about you guys?"

"I'm born in May" Mayu said with a smile and looked over at the other girl "And Brooke here is born in March, so that means you're it Tomoya!"

So her name was Brooke huh? She looked like a smart girl. Maybe it was a good idea for me to get on her good side if I would need some help with my homework.

"I guess I have to choose first then" I mumbled silently as I looked around the crowd, thinking about who I should pick.

My eye soon fell on Mayu. Since she had been my first friend, and she had been so kind to me at my first day, it seemed obvious that she would be the one I should ask. But then, something caught my attention of the corner of my eye.

A couple of seats to my right, Rise was smiling flirtatiously, winking at me suggestively. It was almost like she thought we had something going on, even though we had only met not even a day in advance.

I blushed a little at her flirtatious behavior and looked between the two girls. There was the girl I knew better, the same girl who had helped me with a smile. But the other option, was a flirtatious and possibly dangerous girl, I didn't know anything about. Dangerous and unknown territory. And I have to admit, I had always been attracted to danger.

Both of the girls looked at me expectantly. Maybe I would hurt one of them if I chose the other? No, No, No. That can't be. We're not like that. At least not yet.

I looked back at Mayu with a smile.

"Mayu, Truth or Dare?"

She smiled a little and looked… Relieved? Maybe there really was something I hadn't noticed about her.

"Truth" She said confidently.

"Oh boo! What a pussy answer" Matt said with a wide grin "Winners go all the way Mayu! How many times have I told you!?"

"Shut up Matt" Mayu said with a chuckle "Come on Tomoya! Out with it already!"

"Okay, okay. Let me think" I mumbled silently as "Hmm… If you were given a million dollars, would you kiss Matt?"

"Nope" Mayu said straightforwardly "He has horrible breath. I wouldn't be caught dead near those lips"

"Hey! You know that is not true!" Matt said with a pout and everyone laughed.

"Alright Mayu, your turn" Matt said with a small chuckle and she nodded and looked around at the others.

"Hmm, Matt, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"Alright, I dare youuu…"

You could almost see the gears in her head turning. The excitement was rising and the situation was tensing up.

"When we're getting some fresh air later, I am daring you to jump in the pool naked!"

He smirked a bit and nodded firmly as the others went "OoOOhhhh"

"You're on!" he said with a smirk "I'll even jump from the top of the shed, just to make it interesting"

"Gosh, this is starting to sound like a bad highschool movie" I mumbled to myself as I shook my head "Is that really a good idea?"

"Of course it is, done it a million times by now" Matt said with a smirk "I've learned to do it by now, so it should be no problem"

"Alright, just remember what you've promised" Mayu said with a smirk "Now it's your turn"

"Rise, truth or dare?"

"Dare! Dare all the way!" Rise said with a smirk and a look in my direction.

"Matt, you know Rise always does whatever you dare her to do " Brooke said with an levelheaded expression "You could ask her to run through the streets naked and she would do it"

"So? It's still hilarious for the rest of us" Matt said with a laugh "And I believe we should include the new kid in this one!"

I nearly choked and spit on the little amount of beer I had put to my lips and looked at him with shock in my eyes.

"W-WHAT!?"

"Yeah! Rise, I dare you to go play 10 minutes in heaven with Tomoya!"

I couldn't tell whether I was turning pale or hot red at that announcement, but it felt like my stomach turned upside down. Rise giggled a bit, a red hue on her cheeks as she smiled at me.

"Come on Tomoya, we can't wait all day" Brooke and the others pushed me and Rise into another empty room.

'Argh great. How convenient' I thought to myself as I saw it was an empty bedroom.

"So," Rise said with a smirk as she twirled around to face me, giggling a little bit "We only have 10 minutes"

She winked at me and I gulped. This woman was dangerous, I could tell. I could feel how my nervous sweating rolled down my face as she approached me slowly, making sure to sway her hips a little bit. And that devious and dangerous smile… Holy shit, I had never experienced such nervousness before.

When she was so close that she could have kissed my neck if she wanted to, she smiled a bit as she looked up into my eyes. Her eyes was a deep ocean blue, and her body smelled of sweet perfume. She pressed her upper body against mine, soft and warm, as my back hit the wall, since I had subconsciously backed away.

I could feel my heart beat faster and faster by the second as she pressed against me a little harder, and she smiled deviously as she sensed my nervousness.

"You don't have to be nervous you know" She said with a smile "This is just a friendly. Little. Game"

And with that final word she pressed her lips against mine, not even giving me time to react. I widened my eyes a bit and moaned silently as she hungrily kept kissing me, and I almost couldn't fight from pure surprise and nervousness.

I felt my arm rise to push her away, but it stopped somewhere halfway up, and fell to my side again, limp. I felt myself getting lost in the feeling and I even began kissing her back. I could feel her lips perk up into a smile and her voice contort into a moan as she reached her hand up and ran it through my hair. I blushed a little and kissed her a bit deeper, and to be honest, I was lost. I loved it.

When she pulled back to fill her lungs with air she only breathed in sharply before slamming her lips back onto mine, and I followed suit, our kissing getting a bit more aggressive. She pulled away again and smiled as she nuzzled her nose close to mine, starring into my eyes.

"Why haven't you called me yet?" She whispered in my ear with a teaseful smile.

The answer came out of left field and left me completely open. Just when I gasped from surprise she took the chance and kissed me deeply again and the surprise left a bubbly sensation that waved all over me, as I kissed her back.

When she finally pulled away I could answer her properly.

"I-I thought it was so sudden, I… " I mumbled quietly as I looked away "I mean, you were flirting with me and uhh… We had just met and uhm…"

"Shut up" She said with a giggle and a smile "I know I put a lot of pressure on you and that's not fair. But seriously, I have… I guess you can say an interest in you"

"Huh? Really? You seem like a massive flirt to be honest"

"I know, but there's something else about you" She said with a smile as she leaned up to my neck "So next weekend, text me alright? I'll make it worth your while"

She smiled a bit and giggled and I gulped, before she bit into my neck softly and pulling away before kissing me deeply again. I could feel how my body immediately pulled air in as response to her contact, and I smiled softly as I kissed her back.

She smiled and cupped my face in her hands and my grip on her waist got tighter. I hadn't even had more than one beer, so I knew I wasn't drunk. But all I had said to myself until now, the phrase "Distance yourself… Distance yourself…" it was all forgotten in the matter of seconds. I wanted to be close to her, to hear her, to feel her.

As a while had passed, she smiled softly and parted from me.

"Make sure to text me next weekend, alright?"

"Okay, will do"

And with that she walked out of the room in lead, with me right behind her. I was sure she had left several hickeys on my neck, and I pulled up extra well on my collar so the others would have no chance to tease me. Of course I wasn't sure if that was even enough effort.

When we arrived back at the circle of friends, the others whistled and yelled at us with bright grins. Mayu was the only one not very loud, and I didn't understand why. When we sat down, instead of sitting in the space between the girls like before, she made the boy beside me scoot over so we could sit together, which of course made me blush as all hell as she laid her head on my shoulder.

And just like this, the party carried on until long into the night. We had one hell of a good time. Drinks were emptied, pools we're filled with young party people, and a lot of new memories were born. I had never had that much fun in my whole life, and my problems from Sinnoh was wafted under the rug like a bad dream.

But as all good things, it came to an end. Each of the guests either went home or had fallen asleep on the couches. Eventually, I had to leave too. As I walked down the street, I sighed happily as I stared up at the night sky.

"When I was about 10 meters away from the house, Rise came running up to me with a bright smile.

"Thanks for today" She whispered in my ear and nibbled a bit on my earlobe "Text me"

She giggled a bit and continued down the street, leaving a distraught and embarrassed boy behind. I blushed a little and smiled softly as I covered my ear, and as I began to walk I heard footsteps approach from behind. It was Mayu.

She smiled softly as she saw me and walked up to me.

"One hell of a party huh?" She asked with a smile and I nodded.

"Who knew High School could be this fun?"

"At least when there's no tests around" Mayu said and we both laughed "Say Tomoya, I was wondering…"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Suddenly a blush crept unto her cheeks and I blushed a little as well.

I thought back to Rise and her will for me to text her. That was only a text though. She hadn't asked if we should be hanging out or something, so if Mayu wanted to do something together there wasn't really a problem was there?

"No, I don't think so" I said with a smile "Do you want to do something?"

"Well, if you want" Mayu said sheepishly as her shoe scraped the asphalt under us "There's this new awesome DVD out and.. I wondered if you wanted to watch it with me"

To me it sounded an awful lot like a date, but we had just met right? She wouldn't ask me out already, would she? But then again, what's the case with Rise?

"U-Uhm, yeah sure" I said with a smile "How about Saturday?"

"S-Sounds good" her face lit up a little and she smiled "Do you need my address?"

"S-Sure"

"Alright, I'll write it down, here"

She quickly reached me a little note and I took it with a smile.

"Okay" I said with a smile "See you then"

"See ya"

And just like that, she had skidded along the street, and turned around to wave at me one last time, before disappearing out of sight.

I sighed a bit and ran a hand through my hair as I looked back up at the sky.

"Distance yourself huh…?" I mumbled quietly to myself, as I made the final way back home…


	6. Chapter 6 - A Bad Hangover

_Pokémon Highschool_

_Chapter 6 – A Bad Hangover_

I groaned softly and blinked my eyes open as i woke up that morning. Despite the pounding headache, I was still in high spirits. I smiled softly as I swung my legs over the edge of my bed, rubbing my eyes sleepily. As the sun's rays shone through my curtains and into my eyes, I hissed a bit from pain and moved back into the shadows of my room. My hangover was worse than I thought I guess.

I sighed a bit as I stood out of bed, trying my best to avoid the sun, and smiled as I walked down the hall to the first floor. When Grotle saw me, he happily cried his name as he walked over to me and rubbed his head against my bare leg, considerate and gentle about my hangover. I smiled and bent down to rub his head, but hissed as a new wave of pain rushed over me.

"S-Sorry Grotle" I mumbled with an apologetic smile "I think I need some rest today"

He nodded softly and bumped my leg playfully, smirking up at me before walking over and sitting beside his empty bowl, which normally contained all the Pokémon food he could wish for. I chuckled softly and grabbed a bag from the cupboard in the kitchen, before filling it up again.

"I'm spoiling you way too much, do you know that?" I asked him with a smile before I grabbed some breakfast for myself.

As I grabbed the cereal and a bowl, my thoughts fell back to what happened yesterday. Not only had I made a ton of new friends, but a girl, a good looking one at that, had kissed me. We had made out, and it had felt wonderful. All the thoughts of me distancing myself from these people had vanished like dew in the sun.

I thought back on Rise. She was a beautiful girl, a tease, but that wasn't the thing I was thinking about the most. She had upright admitted that she had an "Interest" in me. It almost felt too good to be true that she had a crush on me, but then again, what else was it supposed to mean.

As I wondered about to get my food in my own world of thoughts, I heard my phone buzz on the kitchen table, and a quick look at the screen told me that it was Rise who had texted me.

"Heh, speak of the devil" I said with a smile as I opened my text menu.

I looked at Grotle and he looked at me with a questioning and confused expression, and I could quickly think myself to what he was confused about.

"Yeah, I kind of stopped distancing myself from those people Grotle"

His jaw dropped and he headbutted my leg, trying to remind myself what had happened in the past.

"I know, I get it, okay?!" I mumbled a bit irritated "I know all too well what happened. But I've come to like these people. As long as they keep their noses out of my past, we're good"

He looked at me with a disappointed expression, but turned away from me and continued to eat from his bowl, dropping the topic. I sighed silently but a smile soon appeared on my face as I read Rise's text message.

"_You might wanna look outside ;)"_

I widened my eyes a bit as I read the text. She couldn't possibly be here, could she? Had I even told her my address, and when ignoring that, how could she go outside with the hangover she must have been having?

I looked out of the kitchen window, and as true as told, Rise was standing outside, waving to me through the glass with a happy grin on her face. My hangover was soon forgotten as I ran out to let her in. It was only after that I realized I was still standing in nothing but my boxers and a t-shirt.

I looked at her for a while, and she seemed surprised by my getup, but nevertheless she smiled as I opened the door.

"What's with the ripped getup?" She asked teasefully as she stepped inside with me.

"Oh uhm, well…" I could suddenly, but expectedly, feel a blush rush up to my ears "I had just woken up when you texted me"

"Something tells me you wanted me to see you like that" She said with a smirk as we stepped into the kitchen.

"T-That's not true!"

I could feel my face burn up as we sat down at the dining table, and I looked down at my bowl as I poured up some food for myself. Why did she have to be so good at teasing!?

"Uhm, do you want anything or…?"

"No it's okay, I've already had breakfast" She said with a polite smile "What a gentleman though"

I blushed a bit deeper as I got some milk from the fridge and poured that up as well.

"Well, not to be rude or anything," I mumbled nervously "but then what are you doing here?"

"Well, listen up" She said excitedly "The others and I are planning a little trip to the mall today, and I was hoping you could come with us"

"Huh? A mall trip?" I asked, a bit confused "You do know we're supposed to have massive hangovers right?"

"That might be true, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be with your friends"

"I guess that's true" I mumbled silently as I took a bite of cereal "Who's coming then?"

"Me, Matt, Mayu and Claire" She said with a smile, and winked at me "and hopefully you"

I blushed a little and looked away, taking another bite of cereal out of nervousness. I felt like she enjoyed seeing me being nervous and shy.

"Well it sounds tempting" I mumbled quietly "But I need a bath and to freshen up"

"That's okay, we're only meeting up an hour from now" She said with an understanding smile "So go ahead and freshen up. And if you hurry, I might not peak"

She winked at me again and I blushed an even darker red, before wolfing down my food fast and sprinting upstairs to get a bath.

"I don't think her flirting is good for me" I mumbled as I put a hand on my beating heart "Geez, she's good at what she does"

I sighed silently and smiled as I closed the bathroom door behind me, before stripping off my clothes and jumping into the shower. From downstairs I could hear how Rise and Grotle was chatting and playing, and it made me happy to know that they were already getting along well.

I soaped up my hair and happily hummed to myself in the shower. The stench of alcohol and sweat soon drizzled off my body, and the hot water helped calming down my pounding headache. I guess everything it took was a nice hot bath.

As I stood there and cleaned myself off there was suddenly a knock on the door and I snapped my eyes open, as the door swung up.

"God dammit Rise!" I yelled at the top of my lungs "Get out!"

She giggled a bit and smirked at me as she slowly walked into the bathroom, looking at me with a hungry expression.

"Come on, it's not like I don't know how a guy looks naked"

"I told you to get out! Privacy!"

"Whatever" She said with a giggle "You have twenty minutes left before we have to go, okay?"

And with those short words she waddled out the same way she came, leaving me alone. I sighed a bit and quickly turned off the water, dried myself off, and got some clothes to put on.

"What's with her?" I mumbled as I pouted while getting on my clothes "She's such a tease and a flirt. But I didn't think she would take it that far"

When I had pulled on my clothes, which consisted of a black t-shirt, white shorts and sandals, I trudged downstairs to find Rise happily chatting with Grotle. When I stepped inside the kitchen she looked up and smiled before walking over to me.

"Are you ready hot stuff?" she asked with a flirting smile "We're leaving if you are"

"Geez, what's with you and flirting!?" I asked in an exasperated tone "You barely even know me"

"I'm sorry, does it bother you?" she asked softly as her smile dropped.

"N-No, but… I want to know you a little better before we just flirt"

"I guess I can accept that" She said, a serious expression on her face "Alright, let's get to know each other real good today, okay?"

"Right"

"Do you want to bring Grotle?" She asked softly as we walked towards the door

"Wait, we're going to bring our Pokémon?" I asked surprised as we pulled on our shoes.

"Well, there's a certain dressing area for Pokémon there" She said with a smirk "I was hoping to find some new cool clothes for my own Pokémon there"

"I guess there is certain shops like that" I mumbled as I thought about it.

At one side, I would probably not be as nervous around Rise with my best friend around, and he would possibly have a lot of fun there.

On the other side, he didn't think socializing with new people was a good idea because of what had happened to us, and besides, he had never been known to behave all that well. I was worried he might have created a ruckus if he did indeed choose to go.

I sighed softly and looked up from my thoughts and up at Rise.

"I'm just going to go ask him about it" I said as I stood from the dining table "No point in me choosing for him"

"True" She said with a smile "But hurry up okay? We need to be there in 20 minutes!"

I smiled at her and nodded softly as I made my way over to Grotle, patting him on his head as he ate his breakfast.

"Do you want to go shopping with me and the others?" I asked him softly.

At first he sent me a glare. I guess he didn't like the idea that much, and I understood why he was worried for both me and himself. After all, our past had affected him in just as big of a scale as it had affected me. But I didn't want to distance myself from them anymore, and I wanted him to be a part of what I had gained.

"Come on Grotle, it will be fun" I said with a smile, trying to convince him "And, it's good for you. You can't be isolated in this place forever"

He puffed out his cheeks and closed his eyes in thought. He then looked up at me with a glare again, but nodded in approval. I smiled softly at his decision and nodded back.

"Then it's settled" I said with a smile "Are you finished with breakfast? Cause we need to go!"

He nodded and smiled at me cockily before headbutting my leg like he usually did when he was happy or annoyed with me. I chuckled a bit and rubbed his head, before walking back to Rise.

"Alright, we're all ready" I said with a smile "Grotle is coming with us"

"Good, it will be fun" She said with a smile as Grotle trudged along "Good to know you're coming along Grotle!"

He smiled and nodded softly at her before walking out the door with us. I looked over at Rise as we walked down the street, took a shortcut through the park, and towards the huge shopping center in town.

"So, are you looking for some new clothes Rise?" I asked curiously as we passed many busy pedestrians.

"Mayyybe" She said with a teaseful snicker "Actually, I'm mostly looking for some items for my Pokémon. I need some more snacks and other items for them"

"I guess you can buy items there then?"

"Yep" She said with a nod "though mostly it's a human mall, there's also several sections for Pokémon clothes, food and other things"

"That sounds awesome!" I said with a smirk "Maybe I should play dress up with Grotle"

I chuckled and smirked back at him as he walked behind me, and he grunted and headbutted my lega bit harder than usual.

"Aow, aow, okay!" I yelled with a laugh as I sped up a little to escape his headbutting "It was a joke, it was a joke!"

After a while we finally arrived at the mall, the others waiting for us at the entrance. Mayu waved and smiled widely as she called us out from the crowd.

"Tomoya! Rise! Over here!"'

I smiled a bit as I saw her and the others before we walked over to them.

"Good to see you guys" I said with a smile as we stepped up to them "So, how much do you guys think you're gonna spend?"

"I'm mostly going for new games, so not that much" Matt said with a smirk as he pointed at the girls "Though I'm pretty sure the girls are using everything they have on shoes and make-up"

Rise butted in with a teaseful voice.

"Suurre, like you don't like us dressing up for you" She said with a teaseful grin "Come on, the more we stand out here, the less money we can burn!"

Rise giggled playfully and marched on with confidence, the rest of us trailing after her with laughs and hearty chitchatting. Grotle dragged after us nervously and slowly, and after a while I realized he was falling back. I turned back towards him with a smile and sat on my knees in front of him, trying to pet him into comfort.

"it's okay Grotle" I said with a soft smile as I patted his head "It will be fun okay? I promise, you'll make lost of great friends"

He looked up at me with a nervous nod, trying to take a few deep breaths. He tried a smile and nodded and smiled back at him, before standing back onto my feet.

"I'll be right here the whole time" I said as we followed after the others "And if you feel like it, I can put you back in your pokéball. Sound good?"

He nodded softly and smiled a bit brighter, his tail waddling in relieved excitement. I took him along into the mall and quickened my pace a little to catch up to the others.

~A small apartment complex in town, Ryotaru's POV~

"And make sure to get your homework done, okay sweety?"

"Yeah, whatever you say mom"

I growled irritatedly and closed my door behind me as I stomped into my room. My mother had a bad habit of nosing around in my business, and I was getting a little fed up with it.

I sighed and sat down in my leaning chair, my mind set on that new twerp that had began at our school, Tomoya as the others called him. That little loser, coming along and thinking he can just humiliate me like that. Everyone was watching too, including Mayu. I couldn't believe I had lost so easily.

He had been so sure that he would win too. I was certain at first that he was just trying to act tough as his role of the new kid, but it turned out he actually had some skills to back up his words. He had definitely had self-defense classes, or he wouldn't have been able to pull that kind of moves on me.

I growled silently and grabbed my phone, scrolling down through my contacts until I reached my wished number. I pressed the call button and pressed my phone to my ear, impatiently waiting for the call to go through. I smiled satisfied as I heard the phone finally being picked up.

"What is it this time Ryutaro?"

"You and the others need to help me with something" I said shortly "I just need you guys to meet me tomorrow afternoon"

"Are you bullying someone again?" My older friend asked "I'm not delivering anything if that's the case!"

"Dude, do you really think that little of me?" I asked, pretending to be offended "Anyway, I need you to meet me at the pier later today. I need you guys to help me with something"

A long pause followed my speaking, but at last a soft sigh could be heard from the other end of the phone. I knew that it meant that he had given in.

"Alright, what time do we need to be there?"

"Just be there whenever" I mumbled with a frown "I have all day free tomorrow anyway"

"Alright, see you soon"

I smiled a bit as I heard him end the call, the three signature "Beep" following close behind. I chuckled silently and laid down my phone, leaning backwards in my chair and sighing as I began to relax.

"Tomoya huh?" I said with a soft smile "You're tougher than the most newcomers here, I'll give you that… But defense classes or no, there's no way you can take all three of us"

I smiled a bit and sighed silently as I stood up and walked out of the room. Maybe the others was still at our old hangout or something? I needed some fresh air anyway.

"Mom! I'm going out!"

"huh!? But what about the homework!?"

Before she could say anymore though, I was out the door. No way in hell homework was going to keep me from seeing my friends.

As soon as I hit the bottom step of the stairs down to the open street, I pulled out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and lit one.

"just you wait Tomoya… I'm coming for you…"

And with that I walked down the street, and away from my home.


	7. Chapter 7 - Tragic Past

_Pokemon High School_

_Chapter 7 – Tragic Past_

I sighed quietly as I swung my legs out of bed a week later. Everything had worked out smoothly with me and my friends in that one week. Me and Rise had almost gotten a bad habit out of flirting with each other, but ever since the party a week ago, it had never gone to anything further than that, which I found a little odd. Though I didn't mind, in case Rise wanted to lie down for a while.

Just being near her and my friends was more than enough.

It was Saturday, and so, I had a day off from school. Or almost. The damn place was still haunting me at home in form of homework. I cursed quietly under my breath as I looked at my desk clock, and saw that it was already past 11 in the morning.

"I had hoped to wake up early and get it over with, but… Meh, I guess it'll wait a little"

I yawned quietly, a long yawn that even drew tears to the corners of my eyes. I had spent most of last night skyping with the others, and so, I had grown pretty weary. Everyone but Rise (of course), seemed to be exhausted when we finally decided to end the call.

"Oh well, I'll just go find a party somewhere"

That was the parting words Rise had left us with.

"I swear, that girl has more energy than an Electrode" I mumbled quietly "Let's just hope she doesn't explode when she's pissed as well"

I smiled quietly as I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. I suddenly realized that Mayu was going to come over this afternoon to watch a movie. I blushed a little at the thought, but brushed it off as just a friendly meet-up. I didn't want to think of it as a date, being only a week after we met.

I soon got out of breath and got clothed in some of my most casual wear, before I sat down with my homework again.

"Alright, let's get this over with"

~a few hours later

"Argh! I give up!"

I slammed the math book shut with a slap and pushed it aside. I just couldn't do it. It was way too complicated for my taste.

"Man, Mayu is arriving in ten minutes" I mumbled quietly as I looked at the clock again "Maybe I should just postpone that homework till tomorrow"

I sighed again hopelessly and put the books away, preparing myself for when Mayu would arrive. I found myself wondering if she would arrive in casual wear or something fancy or something like that. But I was soon ripped out of my train of thought by the sound of knocking at my door.

"Oh! Coming!"

I yelled this with a smile as I ran out to answer the door. On the other side was Mayu, in the cutest outfit I had seen her in, in a while. A white shirt and a pink skirt, along with white high heels and red lipstick. It made me feel bad for not making more out of my own outfit, but it wasn't like I could just go and change now.

"Hey Tomoya" She said with a nervous smile as she held up a DVD case "I brought the movie we're going to watch. Hope you like horror"

"I can go with some horror" I said with a smile, hiding the fact that I actually hated watching them "Come on in. Do you want anything?"

"No, it's okay" She said with a polite nod as she stepped inside and slipped past me "I had dinner before coming here, and I'll just take water from the faucet if I feel hungry"

"Fair enough."

I chuckled quietly as I followed her into the kitchen. I couldn't help but look at her features as she walked in front of me. She was petite, but she still had curves. Her chest might have been a B or a C size, and her waist was slim. Her skin was porcelain white, and looked smooth. Just the thought made me almost reach out and touch it, if not for stranger danger.

We plomped down on the living room sofa, and Grotle walked up and headbutted Mayu's knee gently as a friendly hello. Mayu patted Grotle with a giggle.

"Hello again Grotle" She said with a smile "Good to see you again, buddy"

He yelled his usual cries and gave her a few more bumps before stomping over in a corner of the living room and lying down. That's typical Grotle. Ever since he had evolved from a Turtwig, he'd had more of a tendency to sleep, rather than have adventures outside. Though he would always still go with me if I left the house.

"Do you think we should get any snacks?" I asked quietly, just to break the silence that had fallen between me and Mayu "I mean, what's a horror movie without snacks?"

"That's true" She mumbled quietly "Okay, I'll come help you carry it all then"

"No, no. It's okay" I said, feeling a little humbled by her politeness "You can get the movie ready. I'll just make a couple of bowls of popcorn"

"Okay"

Just as I was about to leave, Mayu noticed the homework I had put aside on my desk.

"you having trouble with homework?"

As I stood and muzzled around with the paperbags containing the corn for our snacks, I looked back over my shoulder to answer Mayu properly.

"Yeah, it's just some math for Monday, though"

"I can help you after the movie is over, if you want?"

I blushed a little at her proposal.

"I thought you said you suck at math?"

"I do, just not as much as you"

Ouch. That burn though. But this was often the tone between me and Mayu. We were often really sarcastic with one another, often being spiteful towards one another just for fun.

"Sure, if you and your low grades can keep up"

"Hey, that was one test okay!? This has nothing to do with it!"

"Whatever, let me just finish those snacks already!"

I chuckled quietly as I opened the bags, and heard an annoyed humph from the living room. Heh, I won this round.

When I later came back to the living room with our popcorn, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Mayu's Buneary jump onto Grotle's back and fall asleep in one of the bushes up there.

"It's awesome to see they've become so good friends huh?"

"Yeah, it's really cute" Mayu said with a little giggle "Your Grotle seems like it has a hard time trusting her at first though. Is there any reason for that?"

I froze up a bit from the question. It was getting harder and harder to decide whether or not I should tell them about everything that happened. I trusted Mayu, even more than I trusted some of my old friends from Sinnoh… but to tell her that I was the reason for such an accident? Would she even have anything to do with me after I told her?

"I'll tell you some other time, Mayu" I mumbled apologetically "but I feel like it's something I have to tell everyone at the same time"

"Really? I think that only will add more pressure, if it's tough to say"

She brought up a good point. If I had to face everyone at the same time, I would maybe just get more pressured and nervous. But did I really trust Mayu enough to tell her everything that happened?

Before I could come to a conclusion, she smiled quietly and took hold of my hand in mine, and I immediately blushed.

"Do you think this will help?" She mumbled quietly as she ran her thumb across my hand.

When I looked into her eyes I felt calm. I felt safe. Unlike what happens with Rise, who makes me nervous and excited, Mayu had the opposite. She made me calm and collected, and made me pull my stuff back together. She had had that kind of effect on me ever since we first bumped into each other.

I nodded quietly at her question and took a few short breaths, before I decided to tell her the entire story.

"Well, it was almost half a year ago by now. I've told you how I'm originally from Sinnoh, right?"

She nodded quietly. "You told me you used to live in one of the villages, right?"

"Right. Well, in that village, everyone knew everyone. And everything that happened in that little town, would be known by the rest of the village fairly quickly.

Back at the day, I used to have a girlfriend. She actually reminds me a lot of you, with your looks at least. She was very beautiful, and I loved her beyond anything else in the world."

I noticed how a dark blush ran over Mayu's cheeks but I decided to ignore it and continue since I had managed to at least open up the faucet of words.

"Well, back in the day, we had been together for a few months. We were on our way home from a date, when a friend of ours from school came up and greeted us. Everything seemed fine, until he decided to start flirting with her right in front of me"

Mayu frowned quietly as I told her this. I noticed how her fist clenched a hold on her short skirt.

"Well, everything escalated relatively quickly, and before any of us knew what happened, me and the guy had went into a full fledged fistfight. We stood there and punched each other for a while, Mey standing there and crying on the sideline as she begged for us to stop"

I could feel my throat tense up, and I could barely speak anymore. My throat was dry, parched. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as I dug into the scarred memory.

"She tried breaking in and pulling us away from each other… but shit hit the fan. Just as I threw another punch at the guy, she moved in between us to stop us… I hit her across the cheek instead, making her stumble backwards…"

I could feel my stomach turn upside down, and inside out. I didn't even care that the tears was running down my cheeks. I just wanted to finish the story.

"She ended up in a nearby river, and was later found washed ashore further into the village. The guy I had fought lied and told everyone I had beaten her on purpose, since it was mostly his fault that whole thing started. He made the entire village believe I was a psychopathic maniac…"

She stared at me in complete shock. Her eyes had grown into saucer size, and her pupils had shrank to the size of pinheads. It even seemed like she was visibly shaking. Great, now she feared me as well.

"As far as I know, she survived, but she's been in a coma ever since… And I was even close to being arrested for what I had done to her… Since I had actually hit her, my DNA and even some of my blood was found on her… So even the police believed that I had really beaten her"

I could see Mayu's lips tremble and try to speak, but no words came. She just stared at me in shocked disbelief.

"So I ran. I traveled here to escape everything. My parents were the only people who believed what I said. They gave me as much money they could, and helped me escape on the earliest ferry across the sea, away from Sinnoh… and that's how I ended up here"

I finally fell silent, or at least as silent as I could be through my crying. I had really told her everything. Now it was up to Mayu to decide whether she would believe me or not. In a weird way, my entire future relied on her decision. She could believe me, and help me convince the others to believe me as well. Or she could get the pitchfork and torch, and call the mob to drive me out.

"D-Dante… That sounds so… horrible"

I widened my eyes in realization. It seemed like she believed my story, so I looked back up at her. I was even more surprised when I suddenly realized she was crying as well.

"To know that much happened to you… That is so awful…"

She shuffled a bit closer to me on the couch, and wrapped her petite arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. I could feel the warmth of her tears on my shoulder but, I didn't care. I completely lost myself. Broke down emotionally.

I had hardened myself to not cry and weep about it for the last half a year, but now I let the tears flow. The emotions was unstoppable, and I felt two rivers fall from my eyes, giant plops of water fell either on Mayu's shoulder or on the sofa behind her. To be honest, crying my heart out like this felt relieving, especially in the arms of such an awesome girl like Mayu.

After a while, the both of us finally calmed down and pried ourselves away from each other. A long awkward moment of silence fell between us, before Mayu was the first one to break the silence.

"There's just one thing I don't understand…" Mayu mumbled as she pinched her chin in thought "If you knew Mey was in a coma, how could you leave her, just like that? I mean, if she ever wakes up, she will still think you two are together…"

I widened my eyes a little as I realized it.

"Oh god… You're right…"

I stared at her in disbelief. How could I have been so selfish?!

"I-I can't believe I just left her there…." I mumbled quietly, feeling like crying once again "How could I just abandon her…"

I felt myself tear up again and I quickly wiped whatever tears was left, before I turned towards Mayu again.

"Well, there's not much to do about it anyway" I mumbled quietly "no matter how sad reality is, going back and apologizing isn't going to help at all. She'll just end up hating me even more, and I might even end up in jail for something I haven't done"

"That's true" She mumbled with a nod.

I sighed a little and looked down at my hands in my lap. These hands are what had knocked my ex girlfriend into a coma for several months, as far as I knew, maybe even half a year. I really wanted to go back and see her just one last time, but I didn't want to risk it. Ending up in jail would only ruin my life that much more.

I looked up with a start as I felt the sofa move around due to Mayu's movements, and I widened my eyes and blushed in surprise as I suddenly felt Mayu's arms around my left, and I looked over at her in surprise.

"You know… She was really lucky" She mumbled with a smile "You're a really cool guy. You certainly don't deserve everything that's happen to you"

"Mayu, are you flirting with me?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at her.

Just as I said "Flirting", a weird sound emanated from Grotle, and I could have sworn there was a strange glint in his eye. Soon he was back on all four legs, before sprinting straight for Mayu and almost jumping into her lap with a happy cry.

"Grotle!? What the hell are you doing, boy!?" I yelled loudly in panic as he tried to climb into the sofa "No! The sofa will collapse, Grotle for heavens sake! Argh!"

He laughed loudly and just tried to push further into my lap, resulting in all three of us shuffling around the sofa a moment. Somehow, we all ended up in a giant pile of bodies, with me underneath, Mayu on top of me, and Grotle standing to the side and watching with a happy grin. Somehow he had lifted Mayu up with his head, and laid her on top of me, much to our embarrassment.

"G-G-Grotle!? What the hell is this!?" I yelled at him, embarrassed "Why would you…!"

He just looked at me with a pleased expression, before turning tail and bolting from the living room. I was about to raise my body off the couch and chase after him, but that was when I really realized that Mayu of all people, was actually on top of me, looking down at me with a baffled expression. Just like my first day at school, and we bumped into each other.

"U-uhmm…." She mumbled quietly, a dark red hue over her cheeks.

I gulped down my saliva in embarrassment. I had never realized before, but she actually had a single tiny beauty mark, right under her eye. It was a really cute detail, and I almost got completely lost in that little dark dot.

"Uhm, what are you staring at?"

I blushed quietly as she broke the silence. I was so surprised by it that I just blurted out the first thought that came to mind.

"It's just, your beauty mark…" I mumbled quietly as I pointed at it with a finger "It's really cute"

"Oh, you mean…" She mumbled "I've had that since I was born"

She smiled quietly and blushed a little at the compliment which I hadn't even realized I had given her, and when I finally did, I blushed dark before she jump off me in an embarrassed daze.

"L-Let's just forget that ever happened, and watch the movie"

I nodded quietly and barely even responded with words out of embarrassment, before using the remote to start the movie.


	8. Chapter 8 - Tournament Preparation

_Pokémon Highschool_

_Chapter 8 – Tournament Preparation_

It had been a month or so since Mayu and I had our little talk about my past. Since then it had been going well with her and the others. We were still friends, Matt was still his pranking self, Blake was still bossing everyone around, to no avail most of the time, and Rise and I continued to flirt with each other in playful obviousness. Everything was at peace, and finally, summer break was approaching.

But sadly, with it came all the end of semester tests. Not only normal studies, but the Pokémon administration office of the school was planning something big for the students this year, I could just tell. There was this tense feeling in the air, as soon as you would step into the classroom.

That day was no exception. Though as of yet, none of the teachers, or any of the staff, had been willing to share what was going down. They said they wanted to leave it as a surprise.

I stepped into the classroom and returned the usual glare from Ryusei, before settling down between Rise and Mayu in the back. We were chatting lively at the time, but that would soon be interrupted.

Suddenly the door to the classroom swung open and I widened my eyes as I saw who it was. Professor Oak himself, along with the current Pokémon champion Red, was suddenly standing in front of the chalkboard in the classroom, and the entire room had died into silence.

The silence was suddenly broken as students began shouting and whistling loudly, as they tried to crowd around the professor and the young champion. I just stared at them in disbelief in my seat. I could not believe that Red, THE Red, the champion that had basically blown the former champion out of the league before he could even blink, was standing right here, in the same exact classroom.

For any Pokémon Trainer, this was a rarity almost none had had the pleasure of experiencing.

Before long, the teacher managed to take back control of the students, and filed them back to their seats, so professor Oak and the Champion could explain why they were there to even begin with. That wasn't going to prevent the students from almost toppling over their seats in excitement.

"As you all should know," The teacher began with a smile "Our annual semester graduations are coming up! The ones who clear the graduations will be able to move up a grade!"

I took a quick look over at Ryusei, who was sulking at the far front of the class. I had heard from Mayu that he had had to take a grade over because he failed last year's semester tests. As he noticed I was looking at him, he just rolled his eyes and looked back up at the Champion and Professor Oak.

"Well, this year, the Pokémon Administration Office has a surprise for you" The teacher said with a smile "They, with the cooperation of the champion, have put together a countrywide school tournament event!"

I widened my eyes a little at this reveal. I had never heard about schools holding Pokémon tournaments before!

"To explain, we've brought professor Oak and the champion himself to explain"

The teacher continued his little speech and stepped aside so professor Oak and the champion could step forward. Professor Oak gave a smile and a wave, while Red smiled a little and just nodded in acknowledgement.

"To make a long story short," Professor Oak started "We are going to be holding Pokémon school tournaments in every high school of Kanto! The winner of each school tournament will be going to the Pokémon League, to compete! The winner of this battle, will be having the privilege of getting the chance to challenge our current champion, to an all-out 6 VS 6 battle!"

I widened my eyes and felt how the smile on my lips grew wider. A bright student in the back of the classroom raised his hand with a smile.

"Yes, young man?"

"Who will be able to graduate our year?"

"Very good question" Oak smiled, seemingly pleased with the young man "Whether or not you're ready to graduate will be individually evaluated, and doesn't have anything to do with how you place in the tournament."

"So this tournament is just for fun?" Brooke asked, a raise of her eyebrow.

Apparently she wasn't very pleased with the tournament, possibly because it would take time off for her to study.

"Not at all, my dear girl" Oak said with a smirk "This tournament is to let us have a look at your strong and weak points in battle! This will help us to find out what we should focus on for each student, for next semester's Pokémon lectures"

Brooke didn't seem completely pleased, but at least seemed to no longer mind, and she didn't say another word. When no one else raised their hand, Oak smiled and continued.

"So, prepare yourselves, young students!" He said with a bright smile "The tournament itself will be held as 3 VS 3 battles! Train hard, and prepare all that you can during this following month! You might discover something about yourself, or your Pokémon, that you did not know already! That is all. Do you have anything to say, Red?"

Red glanced up at the professor and smiled a little, before stepping forward and doing a charismatic bow, taking his cap off his head.

"I'll be opening a chat server in the school system" He said quietly "If you have any questions, or want some training tips, do send a message"

I smiled quietly and almost felt my spine tingle. I had always been a huge fan of Red, and the fact that he was there to answer my questions, made me very excited.

"So, if no one else has anything to say," Oak said with another quirky smile "We'll be going. Good luck dear students"

They marched out the same way they came, leaving a classroom that was buzzing of excitement. The teacher didn't bother to call for order, since he already knew that such a thing would be futile at this moment. He let us talk, and I immediately headed over to my group.

"Oh. My. God!" I squealed and stared at the others in excitement "Holy crap! This is so exciting!"

"It's not everyday you get to challenge the Pokémon league champion" Matt said with a smirk

"I am so excited!" I said with a grin "So, are you guys going to enter?"

"I think I might sit out for this one" Brooke said with a huff "I don't see the sense of entering when I can use that time for studying instead"

"Aww come on, Debby Downer" Rise said teasingly "I'm sure it'll be fun!"

"Studying is fun too" Brooke mumbled with a pout.

"You need to go out more" Matt said with a laugh "Come on Brooke! No one here has seen you battle anyway!"

"That's true" I said, realizing the fact "I don't even know if Brooke has any pokemon. Or any of you for that matter"

"We'll keep that a secret for now!" Mayu said with a giggle "The only one of my Pokémon you know is Eevee, and I intend to keep it that way until the tournament"

"All secretive now, huh?" I said with a smirk "I'm kind of handicapped at the moment. I only have one Pokémon right now"

"You'd better get catching then!" Matt said with a smirk "You're gonna need at least 3 Pokémon!"

"Yeah I know" I mumbled, deep in thought "I might go to the forest and see if I can catch anything, this weekend"

"That sounds like fun!" Suddenly, Claire was walking over to us "Mind if I tag along?"

"What are you doing here, Sis?" Brooke mumbled.

I looked at Brooke weirdly.

"Wait, sis?"

"Yeah. Brooke and I are sisters" Claire said with a smirk.

Now that I thought about it, and that they were standing side by side, it actually made sense. I shrugged silently at this unimportant revelation, and turned to Claire with a smirk.

"Of course you can come, Claire!" I said with obvious excitement in my tone "You can all come along if you wish!"

"Yay! We could make a trip out of it!" Rise said excitedly "I'm gonna make sure to pack a swimsuit, just in case"

"Uhh, Rise, we're going to Viridian Forest" Matt said with a raised eyebrow "How do you plan to bathe anywhere?"

"Don't you know about this huge lake deep in the forest?" Rise said with a smirk "I go there whenever I can! The water is so great this time of year!"

"Alright, sounds like a class trip!" I said with a smirk.

~That following weekend, in Viridian Forest~

I smiled quietly as I watched the girls run ahead. We had been walking for about 20 minutes now, and as much as I wanted to treat this as a training mission, I couldn't help but feel like it was a vacation. We were about as relaxed as we could be, even though we were supposed to be training.

Pokémon were all around us as we strayed from the path as we followed after Rise, and with every step I took it felt like I was moving further and further into some kind of crazy fantasy world. The forest was getting more and more lush, and the further we walked in, the more I felt like if we took just one wrong step, we would get horribly lost. Hopefully Rise knew what she was doing.

As we were walking, Matt and I fell behind so we could keep a look at the girls. Rise and Claire were leading, singing happily to themselves as they pushed through the brush. Mayu was walking alone, looking around her in wonder as the many different Pokémon around her went about their own. And Brooke was of course walking around with her notebook, drawing pictures and studying all the Pokémon she could see.

"What a forest huh?" Matt mumbled as he looke around him.

"Yeah, tell me about it" I mumbled silently "This place has totally different Pokémon from Sinnoh"

"Oh yeah, you did say you're from Sinnoh" Matt said with a smirk "How is it living there?"

I smiled quietly and sighed as I thought back to the times before the accident.

"It's a beautiful place, with awesome people" I mumbled softly "The region is huge, and has many different Pokémon"

"I can't wait to go there someday" Matt said with a smirk "I might be studying for a job, but I really plan to travel all the regions someday"

I was about to answer him, but was cut off by Rise, who squealed as she saw the clearing ahead.

"THERE IT IS!" She yelled as she pointed in the direction of the clearing, before taking off "Last man in the water gets to cuddle with a caterpie!"

I widened my eyes in fright. As much as that Pokémon was adorable, having it crawl all over you was a terrifying thought. I took a quick glance at Matt, who was smirking, and we quickly took off after the girls, throwing away our t-shirts. Luckily I jumped in before Matt, so I thought he was the big loser of today, until I realized Brooke was still standing on the ground and giving us a weird look.

"Come on guys, we were here to train, not to have a vacation!"

"Aww, just an hour, Brooke!" Claire laughed as she gazed up at her sister "It's not gonna kill anyone"

"Except my mood" Brooke retorted, before sighing "Fine, I'll be in the forest edge and studying the bugs when you're done acting like children"

I chuckled quietly as I watched Brooke leave, and I turned to the girls with a smirk. Though that smirk quickly disappeared, and so did all the color in my cheeks.

The girls had been in such a rush to get into the water that they had just jumped in, only wearing their underwear! And since the material was so thin, it was practically see-through at this point!

I squealed and turned away immediately as the girls, all except Mayu who were blushing a little, laughed loudly and clapped me on the shoulders.

"Calm down Tomoya, we're gonna go change now!" Claire said with a laugh "I knew it was a good idea to take extra sets of clothes with us!"

Mayu giggled a bit and smiled at Claire's open demeanor. Claire and Mayu swam up to the shore and walked on to get their clothes, though Rise stuck around a little longer.

"What, don't you like me like this?" She asked with a flirtatious wink as she twirled around in the water "I might just remove these as well, since they're pretty useless now"

"Please no" I mumbled with a small embarrassed smile "I might die from the nosebleed I'll get"

"Then again, for boys, isn't that a good way to go?" She said with a giggle.

When she was about to swim back to the shore, she turned around quickly and pressed her lips to my cheek out of the blue. I was dumbstruck and a hand immediately shot up and covered the area she had kissed.

"W-Where did that come from!?" I asked nervously.

"I just felt like doing it" She said with a giggle, before turning around and swimming back to shore.

"That girl…" I mumbled, rubbing my cheek a little "Not that I'm complaining or anything…"

I chuckled quietly at myself before swimming back as well. I was soaked through, and Brooke was right. We did come here to catch and train. So as soon as the girls were done drying themselves and putting on some dry clothes, I ran into the forest behind a tree, and did the same.

After about an hour where the girls laughed and played near the water's edge, and Matt and I enjoyed some tanning time in the sun, we decided to take this seriously, and finally we managed to get them all together and begin searching the area for potential Pokémon partners.

We had left our bags at the treeline by the lake, and decided to split up in groups of two, to get more effective, and possibly have a match or two against one another along the way. Mayu and I were in a group, while Matt and Claire, and Brooke and Rise had teamed up into their own groups as well.

"Mayu seriously, do you actually have anything beyond Eevee?" I asked as I looked over at her "I mean, the tournament is 3 vs 3. Not much you can do with only one Eevee"

Eevee, which Mayu was now carrying in her arms, barked up at me with something like a raise eyebrow, and I chuckled as I patte its head.

"Hey, I didn't say you were bad" I said apologetically "Only that 3 against 1 is a clear disadvantage"

"I do have other Pokémon" Mayu said with a small smile "But as of right now, I don't actually feel like training. I don't hope to get that far in the tournament anyway"

"Huh? Then why did you even come along?" I asked silently as I checked through my Pokéball pouch, to see which and how much of each Pokéball I had "If not for training, then what?"

"Well, I do have my fair share of Pokémon knowledge" She said with a confident smirk "I might be able to help you with my genius!"

She made a melodramatic laugh and I shook my head at her.

"I think I'll just keep to myself, thank you very much" I mumbled with a sarcastic tone "I'm afraid your over-inflated ego is scaring the wild Pokémon away"

Just as I said that, my ears perked up as I heard a rustle in a nearby tree, and I immediately grabbed hold of Grotle's Pokéball in preparation.

"Mayu, stand still" I almost commanded her, a command she immediately followed "Not a sound"

We stood with our backs against one another, listening in as carefully as we could. It almost sounded like the sounds were coming from all around us, not only from the trees, but even the bushes and the underbrush.

Suddenly a Vespiquen, along with a couple of Combee´s, jumped out of nowhere and began zooming towards us. I growled in realization and stepped in front of Mayu for protection, before grabbing Grotle's Pokéball.

"Grotle! STAND BY FOR BATTLE!"


End file.
